‘The Burial Review: Jamie Foxx And Tommy Lee Jones Star In A Rousing Courtroom Drama About The Racism Of American Deathcare
Maggie Bates' The Funeral is perhaps the most gripping film about a legal battle over a funeral insurance company, the kind of edgy but thrilling courtroom drama Hollywood often saw, before the movie industry was too busy worrying about what happened. left behind. .after myself. . After Bates killed Seth in 1995 and shot him with enough wit and confidence to dispel the illusion that it was done at the same time, Bates's surprise sequel to the serious monastic saga, Novitiate, almost revels in its simple nostalgia. The moment it starts.
Yet the film demonstrates a connection to this nostalgia that is more complex than it seems. First, the Bates movie, which captivated 2,000 viewers at its TIFF premiere, will be able to delight audiences forever (or until it does) on Amazon Studios Prime Video for just one week. Insignificant from the point of view of tax deduction).
Another more important note: This true story of the friendship that develops between a white undertaker in Mississippi and the charming black lawyer he hires to defend him from a foreign country could very well end up something like this. tropes like the Green Book. “The choice seems too forced, but Dabrial gradually discovers that he is more in touch with the past than his peers, and therefore reflects more on the present. Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Foxx are trying to contact Tony! Tony! Tony! The magic wand we may need to eradicate racism once and for all, Bates' film uses its warm and fuzzy legitimacy to tell a (funny and entertaining) story about the depths to which racism has sunk into the land of American life .
Visually, it opens with the most charismatic and energetic performance of Foxx's career, as the "Collateral" actor puts his all into the role of Florida personal injury lawyer Willie E. Gary, a practicing attorney. On Sundays he brought the same Baptist theatrics to the pulpit of his church. Born into the family of a stockbroker, but already one of the richest lawyers in the world when our story begins, this tireless ambulance driver pursues his American dream with nothing but tenacity and faith. Its premise is simple: A guy has a private jet called Wings of Justice, he wears a different $10,000 suit in every scene, and everyone, even the blue ones, looks like money. His beliefs are a little more complex. Gary believes in God and the law, but above all he only believes in cases where he can win (cases where he can preach his justice to a majority black jury).
Jeremiah O'Keefe, Biloxi undertaker and World War II veteran, seems like a different kind of man. Style isn't her strong point (she's always dressed well, well... you know). Tommy Lee Jones performs with as much dedication as an actor would if you asked him to appear on your TikTok, and his strongest connection to the black community is that he's never kept a white hoodie in his closet. It's not that O'Keefe is an outspoken anti-racist or anything; He simply refuses to put up with such stupidity.
But his faith is also complex. He is a man of faith, and while his experiences at home and abroad have taught him what God's children can do for one another, he believes a better future is possible for them. who's willing to fight for it - out of desire And when the overworked O'Keefe wants to sell part of the family business he inherited from his father, he's determined not to let sleazy morgue magnate Ray Lowen ( Bill Camp, in his Bill Campist too late ) to ruin everything. His children have already shared this legacy. Lowen negotiates a handshake with O'Keefe for a share of his business, but the restless tycoon, rubbing his hands in anticipation of imminent death, refuses to sign up for what he calls "the golden age of death." . Why pay more for a few slices of pie when you can tear the poor guy apart, suck him up, and then buy his entire business for pennies on the dollar? This is the American way.
O'Keefe disagrees. He's a lawyer, putting together a team that includes his longtime lawyer Mike Allred (Alan Ruck, devouring everything like a spoiled Southern brat), and, to Mike's surprise and confusion, teaming up with a bright-eyed young man named Hal (Mamoudou Athie, subtly ) which carries the entire film forward ). When Hal sees Gary flaunting his wealth in the episode "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", he gets the idea that hiring the hottest black lawyer in the country to try cases in a majority-black district might be enough to kill David and Goliath. It's true that Willie Gary is a personal injury lawyer who has never handled a contract case in his life, but he can bring real talent to a case that Gary's partner describes as "a sleeper case waiting to happen ". He agreed to sign a transparent tender simply for reasons of honor; It was as close as he could get to his dream of being on the track with Johnny Cochrane.
So, after Bates and co-writer Doug Wright explain much of the scene far more elegantly than I have here, the stage is set for a Mississippi courtroom movie that feels less compelling than the people on trial. It is in litigation. The proceedings itself, which unfolds through a series of exotic scenes lacking the detail and pace of a grittier legal drama, sometimes struggles with this imbalance; Reaction to Gary's appointment remains unbalanced, voiced by superstar lawyer Lowen.
Journee Smollett confidently plays the fictional Mamie Downs, but her character — a beautiful, ultra-educated young black woman who worked for Sandra Day O'Connor and seems destined to one day end up on the Supreme Court — is a strange Gary. He has to flirt, but he can't be romantic. He has to be an antagonist, but he can't be a villain. She must protect one of the most despicable white men in the world, but she will never be able to take his side. Another type of film might have done more to explore how Mami's level of internal conflict relates to her experience growing up in a legal system designed to keep people like her in check. But "Funeral" doesn't have time to move that needle, and so Smollett's character feels like a missed opportunity for further drama.
The good news is that Bates seems fully aware of his film's strengths and isn't afraid to exploit them. Furthermore, Fox is capable of running a one-man show and Gary needs supporting actors rather than an antagonist. The one-sided competition between him and Allred over who will be O'Keefe's lead lawyer is funny as hell and subtly allows "The Tomb" to grapple with the larger role that race can play in a courtroom drama involving both the plaintiffs and defendants. white, and the judge, jury, and lawyers are all black (the funny scene where Rock tells his predominantly black legal team that he's "working" not to dehumanize them is "legacy" is cringeworthy stuff).
Meanwhile, the relationship that develops between Gary and O'Keefe is never so complex that it feels inauthentic. This helps them love each other from the beginning, and despite their different backgrounds, they share a common belief in the importance of legacy. O'Keefe's belief in leaving something for his children is so unshakable that it allows Jones to have some fun with the role. Of course, the bags under his eyes are so large that he'll probably have to check them while flying, but his performance here is a little relaxed, and Foxx's energy seems to bring real fun to the ensemble: its star. At first glance, it might seem that Gary's involvement in this case is motivated solely by self-interest. But his inexperience in contract law was forgiving, while the initial phase of the trial, which highlighted the terrible impact of Levene's predatory business practices on America's black community, made the case seem much larger than it was in the first place. reality.
The Graf negotiates the three-point curve like an experienced truck driver: with as much grace as possible, despite some inevitable bumps along the way. There's no escaping the way the film loses momentum as it shifts gears, but Bates does a great job of ensuring that justice and historical truth ultimately feel like two lanes on the same road, which is very important to the story . Racism could still play a role in Bill Camp's battle against Tommy Lee Jones.
While the outcome of the trial may seem like a foregone conclusion, the second half of the film reveals the process by which America considers its own life as it remembers its dead, as poignantly as Jonathan Hare's essay on "Funeral ". Bates' adaptation never loses the sense of humor and layered sensitivity he brings to a sensitive subject: his angry and politically charged approach to describing the pain of an America buried alone, without headstones, ensures that the pain will continue: it's a verdict. Leggio feels equally cursed and hopeful.
Funeral premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Amazon Studios will release it in select theaters on Friday, October 6 and will be available to stream on Prime Video starting on Friday, October 13.
