The Burial

"Never settle."

2023 2h 6m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.1

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 657●74Metacritic★7.1IMDB · 43,869

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When a handshake deal goes sour, funeral home owner Jeremiah O'Keefe enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary to save his family business. Tempers flare and laughter ensues as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate corruption and racial injustice.

“Never settle.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Tommy Lee Jones
Jeremiah O'Keefe
Jamie Foxx
Willie E. Gary
Jurnee Smollett-Bell
Mame Downes
Alan Ruck
Mike Allred
Mamoudou Athie
Hal Dockins
Pamela Reed
Annette O'Keefe
Bill Camp
Ray Loewen
Amanda Warren
Gioria Gary

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Margaret Betts
Writers: Margaret Betts, Doug Wright, Doug Wright
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Released 3 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Margaret Betts, shot by Maryse Alberti. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Lee Percy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Foxx and Jurnee Smollett-Bell carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Never settle.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt5648882 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Margaret Betts directs. Maryse Alberti behind the camera. Lee Percy cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 3 years ago.
2Directed by Margaret Betts, shot by Maryse Alberti. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Editor Lee Percy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
4Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Foxx and Jurnee Smollett-Bell carry the top of the cast.
5Marketing tagline: "Never settle.".
6IMDB entry: tt5648882 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Maryse Alberti
Editing: Lee Percy
Production design: Kay Lee
Costume design: Mirren Gordon-Crozier
Makeup / hair: Michelle Cardoza
VFX supervisor: George Loucas
Runtime: 126 min · 2h 6m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $32,500,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Burial (2023)
Metacritic: 74/100
IMDB rating: 7.1/10 · 43,869 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

2 wins & 4 nominations total

Also by

Margaret Betts

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots2023-11-03
There isn’t much to dislike about director Maggie Betts‘ “The Burial,” a solid courtroom drama that hits all the expectations of the genre (and sometimes even exceeds them). Inspired by true events, this rousing David versus Goliath story is well cast, well acted, well told, and is set up to be an all-around crowd pleaser. Mississippi funeral home owner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) has fallen on hard times. The mom-and-pop business has been in his family for generations, and he aims to have something to pass down to his plethora of children and grandchildren. When a deal with the CEO (Bill Camp) of a heartless multibillion dollar “death care industry” corporation goes South, Jeremiah hires the smooth talking, charismatic personal injury attorney Willie Gary (Jamie Foxx) to help save the family business. The men and their legal team uncover a deliberate web of deception designed by insurance companies to scam poor people out of their money by taking advantage of them in their time of grief. In the process of exposing corporate corruption, Willie and Jeremiah learn that they have a lot to like and respect about each other. It’s an irresistible story about legal system actually working the way it’s supposed to, and there are a lot of scenes featuring technical lawyer speak. It’s not dumbed down, which is refreshing, and the film features many scenes of legal strategy, brainstorming, and talk about business deals, burial insurance, and racial injustice. Thankfully it’s not as dry as it sounds, as Betts moves the timeline along quickly. She dives right into the lawsuit and the story, not wasting a lot of time setting things up. Foxx is perfectly cast as a flamboyant attorney, and he’s entertaining to watch in the role. Willie is all about showmanship, and he’s a lawyer with a knack for communicating with common folk. Foxx emotes this with a natural charisma and effortless spirit, and it’s difficult to resist his character’s dazzling charm. Jones doesn’t have a whole lot to do, but he provides the quiet balance needed as a contrast to Foxx (and they make a great onscreen pair). Since this is a courtroom legal drama, there are several scenes designed with the sole intention of emotionally manipulating the audience. Get ready for those gutsy monologues that are accompanied by corny dramatic music swells, or the requisite interaction where Willie at first refuses to take on Jeremiah’s case because the payday won’t be in the multi-million dollar range. It appears Betts suddenly had a change of heart and decided that she didn’t want to include every single courtroom cliché in her movie, however, because I was disappointed that there was no big, blustering closing argument scene. If you are a fan of legal dramas and like stories where greedy corporations get their what-for, then you are going to enjoy “The Burial.” This is a solid, easy watch about helping the little guy stick it to those responsible for the rampant monetary shakedowns that can lead to the financial ruin of normal, hardworking citizens. By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS

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