So I had heard about this movie from a very trusted friend and when I saw it playing at a theater near me, I decided to see it. With Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, and Sissy Spacek I was expecting something really great. Not to mention it was an indie drama about death and produced by Robert Duvall himself and was partly based on a true story. My expectations fell a little short and it was a film quite different than what I was expecting.
This is actually a period piece set in 1930's Tennessee and follows an aging hermit, Robert Duvall, who decides to enlist the help of the local funeral home, ran by Bill Murray, in order to throw a 'funeral party' while he is still alive. His main goal is to get everything out in the air and the deep secrets for his past 40 years of solitude and eventually reconcile with Sissy Spacek, a mysterious figure from his past.
The idea of a funeral party had me expecting a quirky dark movie, however that was not the case. This could be my fault for going in without even watching the trailer. This story was actually deeply emotional and serious. The characters were quite complex and developed. I actually enjoyed the fact that this plot took place years after the major climax of the story and dealt with the characters who had had ages of reflection over the events, instead of most movies which deal with the characters while the action is taking place. These were characters who were introspective and unique.
The set decoration and costumes were superb and the movie had the right feel for the 1930's. It was a really beautiful thing to watch. The score and soundtrack was also very nice and in keeping with the tone of the movie. The location and scenery that it was filimed at was also quite beautiful. Overall, this was a beautiful movie to watch.
The performances were stellar - which I would expect nothing less from these three phenomenal actors. Robert Duvall really became this character and did such a great job. His monologue near the end wasn't a breakdown of raw emotion like I was expecting but it was genuine and sounded as though this character was really up there saying these things.
So overall, this was a beautiful movie although a little slow paced for my taste. With a budget of only $7 million dollars, this movie delivered the goods.The performances were really great and the cinematography was beautiful. The characters were highly complex and genuine however the story was a little bit uninteresting in my opinion. There were some suspense cliche's in the movie which attempted to evoke suspense from the audience building towards a final reveal at the end, which I think was unnecessary. I think the 'suspense' should have been removed, and a character study would've sufficed. That being said, the actors did a fantastic job and the movie was a beautiful experience. I do think older audiences will appreciate this more and especially fans of any of these three actors as the story will transcend greatly to that type of audience. I was expecting something completely different but wasn't completely disappointed. I respect this movie and wish more films would take the time this one took to look at complex characters like these. Not every story has to revolve around young attractive characters, emotional and drama happen later in life too. "It's about time for me to get low" -- Get Low.
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