I just watched the most amazing movie: Get Low, starring Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, and Sissy Spacek.
First of all, how can you go wrong with those three in the cast? I especially loved Duvall and Murray’s performances–probably my favorite “serious” performance by Murray.
On top of that, it’s built from the nugget of a true story (and one of my favorite things in life is the prickle of excitement I get when hearing a true story that’s just as good as, if not better than, fiction.)
And to top it off, it turns out this is one of those underdog movies that took years to secure funding for, etc. –and the director who got it off the ground, Aaron Schneider, just happens to be from a small town in central Illinois.
I remember reading in the Peoria Journal-Star several years ago that a Peoria-area native was nominated for an Oscar for a short film he’d made. This story obviously stayed in my mind, but…yeah, short film. I didn’t see it.
Then, a year or so ago I saw another story in the PJ Star that the same guy had made a feature film, and I seemed to remember Duvall and Spacek being attached. But I had forgotten all about this when I went to the video store last night.
So it was pretty cool when I watched the DVD extras at the end, (still feeling spellbound by the beautiful movie I’d just watched, and Duvall’s performance especially), and there was a clip of a press junket with Duvall teasingly saying something to the director about “being from Peoria, Illinois.”
So I went a Googlin’ this morning to find that PJ Star article about Schneider making Get Low: here ya go. (Gotta love that picture of Schneider “teaching” Duvall how to shoot! (And oh…btw, Dunlap “counts” as Peoria, right?)
Even better, here’s a longer feature on Schneider’s getting the film off the ground, including the fact that he got the lead investment with the help of his high school prom date.
If you haven’t seen Get Low, which is part folk tale, part mystery, part love-story, part small-town rural-life tale, I honestly don’t think you can be disappointed if you check it out.
And it only adds to the film to know the back story about Schneider–yet another example of a wonderfully creative mind coming from a place known for bein’ backwards and stodgy.
If you’ve already seen Get Low, please leave my your thoughts below.
I saw this movie on a plane…it was a good time burner while I dealt with the fact I wasn’t in control of an object I was riding over an ocean.
Ha, good thing to have your mind off that, indeed….speaking of flying, when you gonna get your tix for the big event this September?
Have had this for a few weeks from Netflix and we finally watched it last night. Excellent movie. Had been wanting to see it since I read that PJ Star article on Schneider months ago. While he’s not from Macomb, there’s still some pride in knowing he’s from west central IL.