Thornton co-wrote the story with frequent collaborator Tom Epperson. The plot focuses on two rival families on different continents in 1969. What that has to do with Jayne Mansfield’s car or how that is logistically even possible is beyond me, but it’s got Robert Duvall!

Thornton has also found funding for the project, but all things considered, that’s not nearly as interesting as the participation of ROBERT DUVALL.

What do you call a thousand lawyers chained together at the bottom of the ocean?

A good start.

As the quote from Philadelphia shows, Hollywood has a love-hate relationship with lawyers. Time after time, filmmakers depict lawyers as money-grubbing parasites who are more interested getting a pay check than seeing justice served. But at the same time, there are countless films that depict lawyers as champions of the underdog, defending the poor and weak in the face of overwhelming odds. Still others, like The Lincoln Lawyer, fall in the middle, and show the complex nature of a job where people are often asked to chose between what’s right and what’s legal. Regardless of what side of the fence they fall, we definitely want the following nine movie lawyers on our side if we ever end up in a court room. (Spoilers Ahead)

Joe Miller – Philadelphia

When it comes to people you don’t want to sue, a high-profile law firm is probably at the top of the list. So when lawyer Andrew Beckett seeks to sue his former firm for discrimination, he has a hard time finding someone who will take the case. Despite his initial reluctance, Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) agrees to take Beckett on as a client, and manages to beat the prestigious law firm at its own game.

Wild Things – Ken Bowden

When two students falsely accuse high-school guidance counselor Sam Lombardo of rape, he soon finds himself out of a job and facing jail time. To make matters worse, one of the girls comes from a very powerful family, which makes finding a reputable lawyer difficult. But who needs reputable when you’ve got Ken Bowden (Bill Murray). This sleazy ambulance chaser takes on the case, and actually manages to clear his client’s name. Of course, it was all a setup from start to finish, but at the end of the day, Bowden is one of the last men standing. You have to respect that.

Alan Dershowitz – Reversal of Fortune

The nice thing about Alan Dershowitz is he’s a real lawyer. This Harvard Law professor wrote the book on which the film is based. It tells the story of the trial of Claus von Bülow, who was accused of attempting to murder his wife. Dershowitz also went on to help with OJ Simpson’s defense. So if anyone out there is thinking of murdering their wife, you know who to call. Bring money.

Frank Galvin – The Verdict

Frank Galvin is ambulance chasing lawyer who lost a promising career because of his alcoholism. When a friend sets him up with a slam-dunk case that is sure to settle out of court, he has a change of heart, and decides to see the case though and no take the payout. Despite the odds, and the wishes of everyone involved, he manages to win the case. His clients are awarded a sum far in excess of what they would have received in the settlement, while Frank wins his redemption.

Vinny Gambini – My Cousin Vinnie

On paper, Vinny Gambini (Joe Pesci) isn’t exactly what you’d look for in a defense attorney, especially if you were being charged with murder. But that just goes to show you can’t judge a book by its cover (or by its five failed attempts to pass the bar exam). Despite the fact that he has no experience in criminal court, Gambini manages to win a not guilty verdict for his clients based mainly on his girlfriend’s knowledge of cars and his personal experience with cooked grits. That’s what I call impressive.

Elle Woods – Legally Blonde

Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) is a vapid socialite who is more worried about her accessories than the inner workings of the legal system. But when her boyfriend leaves her because he can’t take her seriously, she applies to law school in order to prove him wrong. To be honest, I’m not sure I’d actually hire her as an attorney. But I’ve always wanted to bang Reese Witherspoon), so she made the list.

Fletcher Reede – Liar Liar

Defense attorneys lie. There’s no other way to say it. It’s there job to defend a client, even if they are guilty. So, imagine how difficult it would be for a defense attorney who couldn’t tell a lie. Fletcher Reede (Jim Carrey) learned that the hard way in Liar Liar. When his son’s birthday wish comes true, Reede finds himself unable to tell the slightest fib, yet, he somehow manages to win the case. Now that’s some top-notch lawyering.

Tom Hagen – The Godfather II

If you’re going to run a crime family, you better have a good lawyer. The Corleone family has the best. Tom Hagen acts as the family’s consigliere, attending to any legal or political issues that arise. How good is he? After intimidating a witness (via his brother) into not testifying at a congressional hearing, he has the stones to demand an apology. Nice.

Atticus Finch – To Kill a Mocking Bird

When it comes to movie lawyers, Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) is the character by which all others are measured. In fact, Peck’s portrayal is so moving, that you might actually forget he didn’t win the case. Even so, if your life was on the line, you’d be lucky to have a lawyer like this on your side.

Duvall will have a supporting role in this independently financed film that may or may not be about blonde bombshell actress Jane Mansfield. The Godfather actor claims the movie “puts Tennessee Williams in the back seat — it’s that brilliant.” From what I know about Tennessee Williams, he would have no problem going into the backseat, as long as a swarthy Italian WWII soldier dude was there with him.

Speaking of WWII, here’s what we do know about the plot, courtesy of Duvall:

“It’s about a guy in between WWI and WWII who raises a family after his wife left him for an Englishman and moved to England…When the wife dies, she asks to be brought back to Alabama to be buried, and at that point the character hasn’t seen her in 20 or 30 years. The two families — her original family she abandoned and her English family — meet and then things get really interesting.”

This doesn’t exactly scream out to me “go see this,” but as everyone says, “you gotta respect The Duvall.” I say that at least twice a week. (indieWIRE)

Get Low
Cast: Robert Duvall, Lucas Black, Sissy Spacek, Bill Cobbs, and Bill Murray
Directed by Aaron Schinder
Screenplay by Chris Provenzano and C. Gaby Mitchell.

Get Low has a spark for good old fable storytelling but doesn’t keep the flame burning all the way through, leaving you with one of those Hallmark Channel tacked on ending.

Felix Bush (Robert Duvall in another one of his quite and grandiose performances), a legendary and feared hermit in 1930s Tennessee, decides after 40 years of seclusion to pay for  a funeral party before he dies. All he wants is for people to come and tell them a story about him. This attracts the likes of funeral parlor Frank Quinn (Bill Murray in another one his great sarcastic roles) and his assistant Buddy (Lucas Black, the kid from Sling Blade all grown up) in creating this very odd once-in-a-lifetime event. Yet, something inside Bush is burning very deeply for him to make amends with local piano teacher Mattie Darrow (Sissy Spacek). Things are not what they seem for Bush and his funeral party.

The story starts out with miraculous detail to the environment and mood, from the crackling fires and woods that surround Bush’s cabin house to the details of Quinn’s office. Get Low knows its timeline and environment well, but then settles on a story about a guy filled with regret.

Cinematographer Aaron Schneider makes his directorial debut and gives the film that special camera eye treatment, but it feels that all of the first act build up and detail get lost once the ball starts rolling towards its sugary sweet ending. Schneider shows a lot of promise in making it look great and letting the actors try out all their character quirk, but for next time needs to focus on a screenplay that is equal to the visuals.

With each character that is introduced, we think this film will take on an odd, but very surprising look at this town and this man they all fear. A thing or two about this type of grassroots storytelling can be taken from the Cohe Brothers films, since they know when and where to take these mysterious places with odd-ball characters to surprising and well thought out places.

What we do get are two special performances from Duvall and Murray. They are such valuable screen icons now that when the film reaches its half-baked point, they still give it their enigmatic touch and give us a bridge to the end. A monologue that Duvall gives at the climax is tacked on but he adds his own special and fascinating tics to it, making it something quite more powerful than it really is.

Get Low at the end feels like a practice run for Schneider, who shows a lot of visual promise and has the acting talent to help him fulfill it. All he needs now is to find a story that will take him all the way.

Grade: C+

Director: Aaron Schneider

Cast: Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek

Synopsis: A movie spun out of equal parts folk tale, fable and real-life legend about the mysterious, 1930s Tennessee hermit who famously threw his own rollicking funeral party… while he was still alive.

Do you like Bill Murray? Do you like Robert Duvall? Do you like smug "indie dramedies?" Then you’re going to love, Get Low, the story of a mysterious old man who wants to have his funeral whille…get this…HE’S STILL ALVIE! How disgustingly clever.

Don’t get me wrong, with a cast like that, I’m sure it’s a great film. But after watching the trailer, I got the urge to drive over to Steven Soderbergh‘s house and punch him in the face even though he’s not involved with the film.

I mean, just look at the dialogue.

Radio Interviewer: "How are you today, sir?"

Robert Duvall’s Character: "I am."

Oh, shut the f**k up and stop being so playfully mysterious, you smug bastard! And tell Bill Murray’s character to stop being so god damn witty!

Watch the Get Low trailer after the jump.