The Burial – Prime Video – 2 hours and 7 minutes
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After his 75th birthday, Jeremiah O’Keefe gets a visit from the State Insurance Commission. Jeremiah runs eight funeral homes and sells insurance but doesn’t have the required reserve in his account. The commission warns Jeremiah to replenish his account or face heavy penalties. Jeremiah sits with his lawyer, Mike, to plan how to fix the problem and keep his family legacy for his children and grandchildren. Mike reminds Jeremiah that Ray Loewen from The Loewen Group bought funeral homes around town and can make Jeremiah a fair offer.
Mike and Jeremiah meet at the airport to fly to Vancouver to converse with Ray, but Jeremiah has a surprise. Jeremiah hired Hal, a young attorney, to accompany them. They meet with Ray on his boat, and Ray offers to buy three funeral homes but never sell insurance in southern Mississippi. Ray and Jeremiah shake on the deal, but almost a year later, Ray hasn’t signed it. Hal thinks Ray is purposefully stalling to bankrupt Jeremiah. The longer Ray waits, the farther Jeremiah will be in the hole with the commission board. Mike believes Hal’s idea is absurd, but Jeremiah wants to sue Ray. Hal files suit and surveys the area’s demographic. He doesn’t think Mike is the right lawyer to try the case. Hal puts a videotape of Willie Gary into Jeremiah’s VCR. Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous profiled Willie because he came from humble beginnings and now owns a mansion and plane.
Jeremiah watches Willie work a case and loves his delivery and bravado. So, Jeremiah and Hal go to Willie to hire him. Willie laughs because he doesn’t handle contract law. He only works on personal injury cases. Willie declines the case, and Hal and Jeremiah leave Willie’s office. Hal stops in his tracks and enters the office again. He tells Willie that winning this case will make him internationally famous because Jeremiah is the tip of the iceberg. He will be the go-to lawyer for any case. Willie takes the case and travels to meet Jeremiah’s team.
Mike meets with Willie and discloses an offer he presented to Ray for $9 million. Willie says the deal is off the table because he wants $100 million. Ray scoffs at Willie’s proposal and takes it to court, but his legal team is apprehensive. They look at the area demographics and don’t think they can win without finding a lawyer to appeal to the jury. Ray has a lawyer in mind: Mame Downes. She is well-educated and charming. Willie doesn’t think much of her until one of his team members calls Mame the Viper. They look up her credentials and worry. Willie’s desire to win the case will uncover a disgraceful misuse of trust, discriminatory pricing, and long-overdue justice.
Based on The Burial by Jonathan Harr, this movie packs drama and fun to lighten the mood about racism and classism. When you watch, remember that this film wasn’t in the 1960s. It’s 1995. The Loewen Group overcharged people during their worst moments after selling worthless insurance. They aligned themselves with the local churches to gain trust in the community. The pastors became salespeople and recruited others. It’s appalling how far they went to make money. The movie also depicts how Ray and Jeremiah started in the same position. They inherited businesses from their father and worked hard to grow them. Jeremiah, while making financial mistakes, fought to be ethical and reliable. He cringed at the thought of selling to a big corporation. Ray inherited his company from his father but will do anything to grow. He states that Jeremiah is jealous of his success. But Jeremiah wants what’s fair. The final judgment will shock you. Stay until the mid-credits to get a glimpse of the real-life Willie.
I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars
Not one felon in the whole damn bunch – Jeremiah
Well, that’s great. Good for you, son – Mike
How do you like the way we do business up here in Canada – Ray
I am not your son, Mike – Hal
Don’t ever let nobody tell you you can’t do something – Willie
You look thinner on T.V. – Mame
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Categories: Alan Ruck, Bill Camp, Jamie Foxx, Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie, movie, Pamela Reed, review, The Burial, Tommy Lee Jones, VOD
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