Why is the Betts / Doug Wright screenplay entitled The Burial? Because it's based partially on a true story (of the same name) which initially appeared in The New Yorker. Funeral home director Tommy Lee Jones attempts to sell businesses to powerful tycoon Bill Camp, who fucks him over. Jones is encouraged by young lawyer Mamoudou Athie (The Front Runner, The Circle) to engage flamboyant personal injury lawyer Jamie Foxx, who's never lost a case, to sue him.
They are up against powerful legal mind Jurnee Smollett, who shouts a lot.
With Alan Ruck, Pamela Reed.
This version of events is that the contract between them was never signed, thus making the whole court case extremely murky (unwinnable in fact). What happened in real life was that Loewen did buy one of the funeral homes but contrary to the agreement started selling his own insurance policies. Now that makes much more sense. Why didn't they stick to the real version of events? And why does the film open with Foxx as a church pastor? That also muddies the waters.
Er. I mean it's quite formulaic in a way. Obviously, the outcome is good. It didn't quite click for me.
DP Maryse Alberti (she's French), edited by Lee Percy and Jay Cassidy, production design Kay Lee.
Amazon has acquired MGM, apparently.
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