ON THE SILVER SCREEN: "GET LOW" IS HIGH ON ACTING

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By Brian Lafferty

 

August 8, 2010 (San Diego)--Felix Booth (Robert DuVall) is an older, grouchier Boo Radley. It’s fitting, given that DuVall’s first movie role was the enigmatic recluse in the 1962 classic To Kill a Mockingbird. He is always the subject of gossip, which may or may not be true. Kids often trespass on his isolated property deep in the woods to see if the old man is there, only to be chased away with a shotgun.

 

Felix makes a rare visit into town, where he is met with hate and fear by the locals. He goes to the funeral home run by Frank Quinn (Bill Murray). He wants a funeral party. The twist? He plans on being there alive. Everybody who has a story to tell about him is invited so he can hear for himself what they have to say.

 

Get Low, released on Friday, is a tricky film for me in terms of whether to recommend it. After the screening, my head and my heart were saying two different things and they each had equally compelling arguments.

 

My heart tells me to recommend it for the performances and for the authentic 1920s visual look. The movie was directed by cinematographer Aaron Schneider. With help from cinematographer David Boyd, the two create a striking look using desaturated colors and dark-toned lighting. By opting for this style, the film benefits not only from a period feel but a suitably “dead” feel.

 

Even more impressive than the look is the acting. Everybody, even the minor characters, give one-hundred percent. I won’t be surprised if DuVall and Murray get Oscar nods. There is no other way to describe the performances other than they are genuine and astounding. Everybody disappears into their characters. This isn’t the first time DuVall has played this type of role (I kept remembering his Oscar-winning turn in Tender Mercies) but that doesn’t lessen the impact of his brilliant performance. The actors are given line after line of dialogue that makes the film as interesting to listen to as it is to watch.

 

Now let’s see what my head has to say. The performances breathe life into the movie and the dialogue is first-rate but the overall script does little justice for the brilliant acting. The film has a great idea. It isn’t often when a funeral party is held for someone who not only isn’t dead but wants to be there. It doesn’t do a lot with the idea and at the end the payoff doesn’t pay off.

 

The “mystery,” the truth about what really happened years ago and why Felix lives in the woods is revealed at the end. I will not spoil it except to say two things. The information is revealed in one of the most anticlimactic methods possible, a speech lasting several minutes. Even though DuVall delivers it well, with an ironic combination of weariness and bravado, it gets tedious after a minute or two. Secondly, the secret is not only not so much a secret to those who have seen a few movies but it is unoriginal and rather crummy, and the basis for many previous movie plots.

 

So what’s it going to be? I’m going with my heart. If as much attention was paid to the story as the cinematography and acting, this would have been one of the best films of the year. That doesn’t mean we’re left with chump change. The story may not be much but at least we are treated to some of the best performances so far this year and I would love to see DuVall and Murray on screen again.
 


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