Review of Get Low (2010) by Kris L — 12 Mar 2011

The main reason I was looking forward to Get Low was the presence of two of my favorite actors, Bill Murray and Robert Duvall. I was disappointed, though, when I found no meaningful interaction between them on-screen. Robert Duvall is, in fact, the only thing that makes the movie watchable at all - after years of playing mostly quirky grandpas and grumpy old men, this is his first real character in many years, and he's still in top form delivering a fantastic character study. Bill Murray is good too - the character is perfect for him, but unfortunately not for the film.

Get Low has all the makings of a good film, but it falls flat. It's intentionally slow-paced and laid-back, of course, but it goes too far in that direction, dragging on and taking ages to get to an unsatisfying climax. Duvall's character is interesting, but not sympathetic enough; and the rest of the townsfolk have potential as characters, but the film moves so slowly that there's no time to really explore any of them. It may be worth remembering as part of the Robert Duvall filmography but not for anything else.