Get Low

In lesser hands, Aaron Schneider's Get Low could have become a Hallmark "curmudgeon with a heart of gold" special. But thanks to nuanced, mature performances from Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Bill Murray, we have a quietly entertaining and, at times, funny yarn. Set in 1930s Tennessee, Felix (Duvall) is a cranky old hermit with a shotgun, the focus of rumours and speculation. Felix wants a "funeral party," while he's still alive, where all the townsfolk can share their stories of him---good, bad and evil. The local funeral director (a held-back but still amusing Murray) has his eye on the hermit's baseball-sized roll of cash. There's a lottery, a party happens, people come, but ultimately it's Felix who reveals the most. Watch this one for the dusty set-design details, and to enjoy real actors interacting with each other. –Sue Carter Flinn