Get Low 2009

     The story for this film is partly derived from a funeral party in 1938 thrown by Felix Bushaloo Breazeale in Cave Creek, Tennessee.  The time setting is the 1930’s and during the Great Depression.  Felix Bush is a longtime hermit out in the countryside.  He has no regard for anybody in the town or anyone who would like to get to know him.  Felix learns that another hermit has died and he hears stories about this hermit in town.  Felix contacts Frank, the local Funeral home director.  Felix has a plan to have a funeral and attend it himself before he dies?  Frank believes that no one has ever done this before?  If Felix has this party, he can hear what everyone is saying about him before he dies?  He also wants to get the truth about his past out in the open.  Felix is not sure he can talk about his past?  He asks Rev. Charlie Jackson to give a talk but Jackson refuses.  Charlie believes Felix should speak for himself?

    Felix was asked how he managed to live by himself for 40 years?  He said the first 38 years were the most difficult!! The attitude of Felix falls in line with what Teddy Roosevelt’s daughter Alice said about her spotlight-loving father.  “He wants to be the bride at every wedding, the corpse at every funeral and the baby at every christening?”  This quote sums the mind-set of Felix!!  He doesn’t care what people are saying about him, he just wants to know what they are saying!!  I thought this film was unusual and interesting.  I didn’t know what secret baggage Felix was carrying  with him but it’s disclosed as the film continues.  4* (I liked this movie) 

103 min, Drama directed by Aaron Schneider with Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, Lucas Black, Gerald McRaney, Bill Cobbs, Scott Cooper, Lori  Beth Sikes, Linds Edwards, Andrea Powell, Chandler Riggs, Danny Vinson, Blerim Destani, Tomasz Karolak, Andy Stahl.

Note:  Imdb 7 out of 10, Roger Ebert 3*, Rotten Tomatoes 85% critic 75% audience, Metacritic 77% out of 100 with 35 critics 6.8 out of 10 with 65 user scores, Common Sense Media Andrea Beach age 13+ 4* out of 5*, 2* positive, 2* role models, 2* violence, 2* language, 2* drinking, drugs, smoking.  The Guardian 2* out of 4* Xan Brooks, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 372 reviews,  Letterboxd 3.2* out of 5*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Newman, Dallas, Covington, Powder Springs, Crawfordville and Atlanta, Georgia.  Robert Duvall played a similar character known as Arthur “Boo” Bradley in To Kill a Mockingbird 1962.