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The Burial

Play trailer 2:34 Poster for The Burial R Released Oct 6, 2023 2h 6m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 121 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral home owner Jeremiah O'Keefe (Academy Award® winner Tommy Lee Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary (Academy Award® winner Jamie Foxx) to save his family business. Tempers flare and laughter ensues as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate corruption and racial injustice in this inspirational, triumphant story.
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The Burial

The Burial

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Critics Consensus

A solid courtroom drama led by a pair of nicely contrasted performances, The Burial hits the expected genre beats -- and remains a crowd-pleasing treat at every turn.

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Audience Says

An inspirational underdog drama based on a true story, The Burial is well-acted and consistently entertaining, if somewhat predictable.

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Critics Reviews

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Christy Lemire FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles) Jamie Foxx is enormously charismatic and so commanding. Nov 1, 2023 Full Review Dwight Brown DwightBrownInk.com Foxx is almost giddy as the gospel spirited, gaudy-dressing, cliché-spewing attorney who is out of his league but fighting to the final verdict. Frankly this is the actor’s best performance since Ray. Rated: 3/4 Oct 19, 2023 Full Review Randy Myers San Jose Mercury News A crowd pleaser that feels old school. Make no mistake though, without Foxx's grand and grandiose performance, this cinematic case would be easily dismissed. Rated: 2.5/4 Oct 18, 2023 Full Review Fletcher Powell KMUW - Wichita Public Radio The Burial is far more successful as courtroom entertainment than as an investigation of corporate malfeasance... But it is good entertainment, and it’s exactly the sort of thing many of us wish Hollywood would make a dozen more of every year. Feb 8, 2024 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...a fairly generic yet mostly entertaining legal drama... Rated: 3/4 Jan 9, 2024 Full Review Mitchell Beaupre The Film Stage A stellar Jamie Foxx performance at the head, perfectly instilling a showboating ambulance-chasing huckster persona with deep-rooted insecurities that start to crack and a desire to do something greater. Rated: B+ Jan 1, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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LadyLike W One of the best movies, Tommy Lee Jones love him, Jamie foxx love him. Injustice never prevail and without giving away the movie. Considering this was based on a true story was a little difficult but again justice prevailed and for that kudos. A must see film. It feels good 😆 watch it and you'll catch on to "It feels good". Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/12/24 Full Review matthias s **The Burial - 3 Stars** Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Foxx? Say no more—they're always a treat, and this movie is no exception. Jamie Foxx steals every scene he's in, bringing his usual charisma and wit that keeps you glued. I’m a sucker for courtroom dramas, so this hit the right notes in a lot of ways. The acting? Incredible. The dialogue? Sharp and engaging. Honestly, the performances alone make it worth a watch. That said, I wasn’t fully invested in the case itself. The stakes just didn’t grab me the way I hoped they would. Also, it could’ve been a bit shorter—dragged in a few spots that could’ve been tightened up. Still, it’s an enjoyable ride overall, thanks to the leads and some truly great moments in the courtroom. Not groundbreaking, but solid entertainment if you're in the mood for a legal drama with top-tier performances. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 12/04/24 Full Review Jay W Not all true stories are worth making a film about. The stakes of this film could not be lower. Tommy Lee Jones plays a 77-year-old man with 9 funeral homes. He has 13 kids and 23 grandkids and is wanting to leave a good-sized nest egg for his family. He goes to sell 3 of his funeral homes to a billion-dollar company. When this billionaire delays going forward with the deal, Jones decides to hire big shot lawyer Jamie Foxx to sue the big funeral company. That is the conflict of the story. Why should we root for one character over the other? One big company is a bigger jerk than the smaller business. The movie is well acted throughout, Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Foxx always do a great job. And for what it is, the movie is exciting and entertaining. There is just only so much that you can do to polish up the story. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 11/21/24 Full Review Julian P I don't know how Foxx pulls this off but he does. He just doesn't seem the kind of actor to play this outrageous role but the fact that he does surely puts him up there with the most versatile actors around. Sure Foxx's posse is ridiculous but it circles around to a believable ending (remember it's a true story!). Lee Jones is the real star though, bringing gravitas and a really unique character that you have to emphasize with. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/04/24 Full Review Ray S Great movie with an outstanding cast. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/02/24 Full Review Kit L Please do watch this—in addition to being a really good movie (albeit with a relatively simple David vs. Goliath plot), it's an underplayed background tearjerker, too—about how poorly Afro Americans have been treated since they were press-ganged onto American soil. This haunts us all still; I had tears in my eyes as the elder church member spoke about the unmarked graves in the area where the film plays. My only quibble with the script is that here was no resolution between the character Hal (Mamoudou Athie) and Willie and Jerry—Hal found the smoking gun, after all. Two thumbs up. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/28/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Burial

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Movie Info

Synopsis Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral home owner Jeremiah O'Keefe (Academy Award® winner Tommy Lee Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary (Academy Award® winner Jamie Foxx) to save his family business. Tempers flare and laughter ensues as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate corruption and racial injustice in this inspirational, triumphant story.
Director
Maggie Betts
Producer
Celine Rattray, Trudie Styler, Datari Turner, Jenette Kahn, Adam Richman, Robert Shriver, Jamie Foxx
Screenwriter
Maggie Betts, Doug Wright
Distributor
Amazon Studios
Production Co
Double Nickel Entertainment, Bobby Shriver
Rating
R (Language)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 6, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 13, 2023
Runtime
2h 6m
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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