Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on Wbgr-fm on October 12th, 2023, reviewing “The Burial,” a courtroom drama featuring Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jone. Streaming on Prime Video since October 13th.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
The film involves funeral home owner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones), who brings a lawsuit against the Lowewen Group, a Canadian company looking to corner the funeral market in the 1990s. This is a contract case, but in a unprecedented move O’Keefe decides to hire Willie E. Gary (Jamie Foxx) a flashy black personal injury lawyer. So in a counter movie, CEO Raymond Loewen (Bill Camp) hires Mame Downes (Jurnee Smollett), a female black lawyer from the more legitimate side of the legal world, to face off against Gary. Who is gonna out-lawyer the other?
”The Burial” is streaming on Prime Video since October 13th. Featuring Jamie Foxx, Tommy Lee Jones,...
Rating: 2.5/5.0
The film involves funeral home owner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones), who brings a lawsuit against the Lowewen Group, a Canadian company looking to corner the funeral market in the 1990s. This is a contract case, but in a unprecedented move O’Keefe decides to hire Willie E. Gary (Jamie Foxx) a flashy black personal injury lawyer. So in a counter movie, CEO Raymond Loewen (Bill Camp) hires Mame Downes (Jurnee Smollett), a female black lawyer from the more legitimate side of the legal world, to face off against Gary. Who is gonna out-lawyer the other?
”The Burial” is streaming on Prime Video since October 13th. Featuring Jamie Foxx, Tommy Lee Jones,...
- 10/17/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
We all love a good David and Goliath story, and the movie "The Burial," which began streaming on Amazon Prime Video on Oct. 13, feels like exactly that. The movie stars Jamie Foxx as unconventional lawyer Willie E. Gary, who takes on a career-defining case defending a funeral director named Jerry O'Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) against a mega-corporation trying to put him out of business. Jurnee Smollet steps in as the highly competitive, Harvard-educated lawyer Mame Downes, who goes head to head with Gary in court.
"The Burial" is a story that seems made for the big screen, but it's not just a perfect Hollywood tale - it's based on a true story of some very driven people going up against seemingly impossible forces.
Who Is Willie E. Gary?
"The Burial" is based on a true story, which was first reported in a 1999 piece in The New Yorker by Jonathan Harr.
"The Burial" is a story that seems made for the big screen, but it's not just a perfect Hollywood tale - it's based on a true story of some very driven people going up against seemingly impossible forces.
Who Is Willie E. Gary?
"The Burial" is based on a true story, which was first reported in a 1999 piece in The New Yorker by Jonathan Harr.
- 10/13/2023
- by Amanda Prahl
- Popsugar.com
Tommy Lee Jones as Jeremiah O’Keefe and Jamie Foxx as Willie Gary in The Burial. Photo: Skip Bolen © Amazon Content Services LLC
End-of-the-year movie awards season is in full swing as we see the release of a film focused on a profession that has had a complex Hollywood history. Often these characters are heroes or villains, with minimal “grey area”. It’s not the police or politicians or even used car dealers. This weekend’s new release is set in the courts, and it’s not basketball, rather the lead is a lawyer. Many times they’re portrayed as sleazy, corrupt “ambulance-chasers”. Or they’re noble ” seekers of the truth” ala’ ninety-plus defender of the innocent Perry Mason, who made a huge impact on TV after becoming an icon in “dime novels”, early “talkies”, and radio. But this film isn’t from the pen of his creator Gardner or the current courtroom scribe,...
End-of-the-year movie awards season is in full swing as we see the release of a film focused on a profession that has had a complex Hollywood history. Often these characters are heroes or villains, with minimal “grey area”. It’s not the police or politicians or even used car dealers. This weekend’s new release is set in the courts, and it’s not basketball, rather the lead is a lawyer. Many times they’re portrayed as sleazy, corrupt “ambulance-chasers”. Or they’re noble ” seekers of the truth” ala’ ninety-plus defender of the innocent Perry Mason, who made a huge impact on TV after becoming an icon in “dime novels”, early “talkies”, and radio. But this film isn’t from the pen of his creator Gardner or the current courtroom scribe,...
- 10/13/2023
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Jurnee Smollett lets her résumé speak for itself in "The Burial." In this exclusive look at the new movie, which hit theaters on Oct. 6, the "Lovecraft Country" actor stars as Mame Downes, a new power defense attorney who comes to town to go up against smooth-talking lawyer Willie E. Gary (played by Jamie Foxx). And by the sound of her track record, she's nothing to play with.
Hearing of her college degree from Howard University, Foxx's Willie, impressed, quips, "Oh, that mean she just ain't a woman, she a Black woman."
The clip then cuts to Smollett's Mame as she struts through an airport with luggage in hand and a pair of black shades covering her stone-cold look. She means business. Meanwhile, junior counselor Hal (Mamoudou Athie) continues to run off her accomplishments: "Graduated top of her class from Harvard Law School, Jesus Christ." Now, currently the youngest partner ever at her law firm,...
Hearing of her college degree from Howard University, Foxx's Willie, impressed, quips, "Oh, that mean she just ain't a woman, she a Black woman."
The clip then cuts to Smollett's Mame as she struts through an airport with luggage in hand and a pair of black shades covering her stone-cold look. She means business. Meanwhile, junior counselor Hal (Mamoudou Athie) continues to run off her accomplishments: "Graduated top of her class from Harvard Law School, Jesus Christ." Now, currently the youngest partner ever at her law firm,...
- 10/12/2023
- by Njera Perkins
- Popsugar.com
When filmmaker Maggie Betts premiered her feature debut, the stunning period piece “Novitiate,” at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, the drama starring Margaret Qualley as a young nun took a path many other films had already followed. It showed to strong reviews (including from this writer), earned Betts a Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Director, was bought at the festival by Sony Pictures Classics for an estimated 7-digit price, got a theatrical release in the heat of the fall season, and even picked up some awards buzz for co-star Melissa Leo.
These days, that once-traditional route is a vestige of the past, as the theatrical landscape continues to shift and festival buys grow slimmer. But while Betts readily admits she’s had to change her ambitions to suit the ecosystem, that hasn’t diminished her work. It has, however, altered it a bit. For one thing, it took her six years...
These days, that once-traditional route is a vestige of the past, as the theatrical landscape continues to shift and festival buys grow slimmer. But while Betts readily admits she’s had to change her ambitions to suit the ecosystem, that hasn’t diminished her work. It has, however, altered it a bit. For one thing, it took her six years...
- 10/10/2023
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Tommy Lee Jones, Jamie Foxx in The BurialImage: Prime Video
The Jamie Foxx courtroom drama The Burial is inspired by the true story of African American lawyer Willie E. Gary, his funeral director client Jeremiah O’Keefe, and the seminal 1995 lawsuit they filed against the vast Canadian corporation The Loewen Group.
The Jamie Foxx courtroom drama The Burial is inspired by the true story of African American lawyer Willie E. Gary, his funeral director client Jeremiah O’Keefe, and the seminal 1995 lawsuit they filed against the vast Canadian corporation The Loewen Group.
- 10/6/2023
- by Timothy Cogshell
- avclub.com
There’s a story of thrillingly righteous indignation sitting at the core of Maggie Betts’s The Burial. This flashy legal melodrama is fitfully stirring but too flabby to deliver the walloping blow that it needs. The high points are delivered primarily by Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones, who make a good effort to fill in the gaps left by the spotty screenplay.
Based on a New Yorker article by A Civil Action author Jonathan Harr, the film works as hard to get its audience interested in contract law as Foxx’s high-octane personal injury lawyer, Willie Gary, does when whipping up a jury’s emotions about arcane legal matters. The case in question pits Mississippi funeral home director Jeremiah O’Keefe (Jones) against the Loewen Group, a funeral home and cemetery company, after the conglomerate stalled on an agreement to buy some of the man’s locations, possibly to run him out of business.
Based on a New Yorker article by A Civil Action author Jonathan Harr, the film works as hard to get its audience interested in contract law as Foxx’s high-octane personal injury lawyer, Willie Gary, does when whipping up a jury’s emotions about arcane legal matters. The case in question pits Mississippi funeral home director Jeremiah O’Keefe (Jones) against the Loewen Group, a funeral home and cemetery company, after the conglomerate stalled on an agreement to buy some of the man’s locations, possibly to run him out of business.
- 10/5/2023
- by Chris Barsanti
- Slant Magazine
There’s been a shocking amount of horror movies released in August and September. Now that it’s October, it’s going to seem far more appropriate, with the month starting off with a doozie. Read on for Gold Derby’s box office preview.
Way back in 1973, William Peter Blatty‘s 1971 novel, “The Exorcist,” was adapted into a movie by the late William Friedkin, becoming a huge theatrical phenomenon that is still thought of as one of the scariest horror movies ever made. It introduced many Americans to the idea of possession and exorcism, making household names of Linda Blair and Ellen Burstyn, both who received Oscar nominations. The movie received 10 bids total, winning for Blatty’s screenplay and the sound.
Fifty years later and filmmaker David Gordon Green has followed his mostly successful “Halloween” sequel trilogy with “The Exorcist: Believer,” the first of three movies in the works. The...
Way back in 1973, William Peter Blatty‘s 1971 novel, “The Exorcist,” was adapted into a movie by the late William Friedkin, becoming a huge theatrical phenomenon that is still thought of as one of the scariest horror movies ever made. It introduced many Americans to the idea of possession and exorcism, making household names of Linda Blair and Ellen Burstyn, both who received Oscar nominations. The movie received 10 bids total, winning for Blatty’s screenplay and the sound.
Fifty years later and filmmaker David Gordon Green has followed his mostly successful “Halloween” sequel trilogy with “The Exorcist: Believer,” the first of three movies in the works. The...
- 10/4/2023
- by Edward Douglas
- Gold Derby
Enter the contest below (be sure to enter the following code when prompted: Nerdzro) for the chance to win a pair of passes to attend an advance screening of The Burial on Thursday, October 12, 2023 at 7:00pm at the Emagine Royal Oak!
Synopsis: Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral homeowner 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. Based on The New Yorker article by Jonathan Harr.
About The Film Genre: Drama Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Jamie Foxx, Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie, Pamela Reed, with Bill Camp, Alan Ruck Director: Maggie Betts Screenplay: Doug Wright, Maggie Betts Producer: Jamie Foxx, Jenette Kahn, Celine Rattray, Adam Richman,...
Synopsis: Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral homeowner 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. Based on The New Yorker article by Jonathan Harr.
About The Film Genre: Drama Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Jamie Foxx, Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie, Pamela Reed, with Bill Camp, Alan Ruck Director: Maggie Betts Screenplay: Doug Wright, Maggie Betts Producer: Jamie Foxx, Jenette Kahn, Celine Rattray, Adam Richman,...
- 10/2/2023
- by Editor
- CinemaNerdz
In select theaters October 6 and streaming Globally on Prime Video October 13 is The Burial.
Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral homeowner 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. The cast includes Tommy Lee Jones, Jamie Foxx, Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie, Pamela Reed, with Bill Camp, and Alan Ruck.
Rated R.
The Advance Screening is this Monday night, October 2, 7pm at Ronnies. Please arrive early as seating is not guaranteed.
Enter At The Link:
https://amazonscreenings.com/DUbbF97251
The Burial is directed by Maggie Betts, story by Doug Wright with the screenplay by Doug Wright and Maggie Betts. Based on The New Yorker article by Jonathan Harr.
Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral homeowner 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. The cast includes Tommy Lee Jones, Jamie Foxx, Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie, Pamela Reed, with Bill Camp, and Alan Ruck.
Rated R.
The Advance Screening is this Monday night, October 2, 7pm at Ronnies. Please arrive early as seating is not guaranteed.
Enter At The Link:
https://amazonscreenings.com/DUbbF97251
The Burial is directed by Maggie Betts, story by Doug Wright with the screenplay by Doug Wright and Maggie Betts. Based on The New Yorker article by Jonathan Harr.
- 9/28/2023
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Amazon Studio releases the film in select theaters Friday, October 6, and it will be available to stream on Prime Video starting Friday, October 13.
Likely the most rousing crowdpleaser ever made about the legal battle for a burial insurance business, Maggie Betts’ “The Burial” is the kind of fun but impassioned courtroom drama Hollywood used to release on a regular basis — before the film industry was so preoccupied with dying that it couldn’t afford to think about what it was leaving behind. Set in 1995, and shot with enough wit and confidence to sell the illusion that it was made around the same time, Betts’ unexpected follow-up to the severe nun saga “Novitiate” relishes in the simple pleasures of its own nostalgia from almost the moment it starts.
And yet the movie proves to have a more...
Likely the most rousing crowdpleaser ever made about the legal battle for a burial insurance business, Maggie Betts’ “The Burial” is the kind of fun but impassioned courtroom drama Hollywood used to release on a regular basis — before the film industry was so preoccupied with dying that it couldn’t afford to think about what it was leaving behind. Set in 1995, and shot with enough wit and confidence to sell the illusion that it was made around the same time, Betts’ unexpected follow-up to the severe nun saga “Novitiate” relishes in the simple pleasures of its own nostalgia from almost the moment it starts.
And yet the movie proves to have a more...
- 9/13/2023
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
The Burial is a not-so-great title; it sounds like a horror film. I hope it doesn’t keep people away from this highly entertaining, crowd-pleasing movie that otherwise is an example of what good old fashioned Hollywood filmmaking can still be all about in the right hands. It feels bigger than life, but it is based on some pretty big lives indeed.
This lively courtroom true story has taken awhile to get to its closeup. Inspired by a November 1999 New Yorker article by Jonathan Harr, The Burial, which provides choice lead roles for Oscar winners Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Foxx, has taken a long circuitous route to production. Directors like Jonathan Demme and Ron Howard were in and out along the way until it finally wound up in the hands of Maggie Betts, best known for 2017’s wildly different religious drama Novitiate.
With an initial draft script by Tony and Pulitzer winner Doug Wright,...
This lively courtroom true story has taken awhile to get to its closeup. Inspired by a November 1999 New Yorker article by Jonathan Harr, The Burial, which provides choice lead roles for Oscar winners Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Foxx, has taken a long circuitous route to production. Directors like Jonathan Demme and Ron Howard were in and out along the way until it finally wound up in the hands of Maggie Betts, best known for 2017’s wildly different religious drama Novitiate.
With an initial draft script by Tony and Pulitzer winner Doug Wright,...
- 9/12/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Oscar winner Jamie Foxx (Ray) stars as a lawyer with an incredible track record and Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive) plays his newest client in Prime Video’s The Burial. And a word of warning for those who dislike spoilers: While the trailer’s entertaining, you may want to steer clear of the nearly three-minute video as it gives away a lot of the plot.
Joining Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Foxx in the R-rated drama are Jurnee Smollett (Lovecraft Country), Mamoudou Athie (Jurassic World Dominion), Pamela Reed (NCIS: Los Angeles), Bill Camp (American Rust), and Alan Ruck (Succession). Maggie Betts and Doug Wright co-wrote the screenplay, based on Jonathan Harr’s The New Yorker article, with Betts directing.
Jamie Foxx, Celine Rattray, Trudie Styler, Datari Turner, Jenette Kahn, Adam Richman, and Bobby Shriver served as producers.
The Burial will open in select theaters on October 6, 2023 followed by...
Joining Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Foxx in the R-rated drama are Jurnee Smollett (Lovecraft Country), Mamoudou Athie (Jurassic World Dominion), Pamela Reed (NCIS: Los Angeles), Bill Camp (American Rust), and Alan Ruck (Succession). Maggie Betts and Doug Wright co-wrote the screenplay, based on Jonathan Harr’s The New Yorker article, with Betts directing.
Jamie Foxx, Celine Rattray, Trudie Styler, Datari Turner, Jenette Kahn, Adam Richman, and Bobby Shriver served as producers.
The Burial will open in select theaters on October 6, 2023 followed by...
- 9/7/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Oscar winners Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones team up for a lighthearted drama in the trailer for Prime Video’s upcoming film The Burial.
The official description: “When a handshake deal goes sour, funeral homeowner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary (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.”
The film is inspired by a true story that was chronicled in a New Yorker article by Jonathan Harr (Doug Wright and Maggie Betts wrote the screenplay, with Betts directing).
The trailer comes months after the 55-year-old Foxx suffered a mysterious health scare in April.
The Burial is coming to select theaters Oct. 6, and streams globally on Prime Video beginning Oct. 13.
The official description: “When a handshake deal goes sour, funeral homeowner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary (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.”
The film is inspired by a true story that was chronicled in a New Yorker article by Jonathan Harr (Doug Wright and Maggie Betts wrote the screenplay, with Betts directing).
The trailer comes months after the 55-year-old Foxx suffered a mysterious health scare in April.
The Burial is coming to select theaters Oct. 6, and streams globally on Prime Video beginning Oct. 13.
- 9/7/2023
- by James Hibberd
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jamie Foxx may have had to bounce back from health issues this year, but the star has always been a worker. The trailer for his new comedy/drama has just been released from Amazon for its streaming platform, Prime Video. The Burial is a new legal movie that is based on true events and pairs Foxx up with Tommy Lee Jones. Foxx plays a charismatic lawyer named Willie E. Gary, who is a force to be reckoned with in court as he has not lost a case in 12 years.
The cast for the new courtroom film includes Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Foxx, and they are joined by Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie, Pamela Reed, with Bill Camp, and Alan Ruck.
The official synopsis from Amazon reads,
“Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral homeowner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E.
The cast for the new courtroom film includes Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Foxx, and they are joined by Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie, Pamela Reed, with Bill Camp, and Alan Ruck.
The official synopsis from Amazon reads,
“Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral homeowner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E.
- 9/7/2023
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
An unlikely pair are taking on big business.
On Thursday, Amazon Studios dropped the official trailer for “The Burial”, the new courtroom drama starring Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones.
Read More: Jamie Foxx Says He’s ‘Finally Starting’ To Feel Like Himself Again After Going On ‘Dark’ Journey Amid Health Scare
Amazon Studios
“Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral home owner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary (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,” the official description reads.
The trailer shows off the film’s combination of inspiring drama and comedic spirit.
Tommy Lee Jones as Jeremiah O’Keefe – Photo: Skip Bolen/Amazon Studios
“This fella tried to bully me out of business,” Jones’ O’Keefe says. “I don...
On Thursday, Amazon Studios dropped the official trailer for “The Burial”, the new courtroom drama starring Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones.
Read More: Jamie Foxx Says He’s ‘Finally Starting’ To Feel Like Himself Again After Going On ‘Dark’ Journey Amid Health Scare
Amazon Studios
“Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral home owner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary (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,” the official description reads.
The trailer shows off the film’s combination of inspiring drama and comedic spirit.
Tommy Lee Jones as Jeremiah O’Keefe – Photo: Skip Bolen/Amazon Studios
“This fella tried to bully me out of business,” Jones’ O’Keefe says. “I don...
- 9/7/2023
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
Those predisposed to thinking “they don’t make movies like that anymore” should take note of “The Burial,” Amazon Studios’ upcoming legal drama starring Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones.
Based on the 1999 New Yorker article of the same name, the new film from “Novitiate” filmmaker Maggie Betts stars the Oscar winners as, respectively, lawyer Willie E. Gary and funeral home owner and war hero Jeremiah Joseph O’Keefe. Back in 1995, Gary helped O’Keefe in a massive lawsuit against the Loewen funeral company, and the pair formed an unlikely bond.
Here’s how Amazon Studios describes the action:
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 ensue as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate...
Based on the 1999 New Yorker article of the same name, the new film from “Novitiate” filmmaker Maggie Betts stars the Oscar winners as, respectively, lawyer Willie E. Gary and funeral home owner and war hero Jeremiah Joseph O’Keefe. Back in 1995, Gary helped O’Keefe in a massive lawsuit against the Loewen funeral company, and the pair formed an unlikely bond.
Here’s how Amazon Studios describes the action:
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 ensue as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate...
- 9/7/2023
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Jamie Foxx is heading to the courtroom in legal drama “The Burial,” based on a true story.
The Oscar winner stars alongside Tommy Lee Jones for Maggie Betts’ follow-up to her 2017 breakout film “Novitiate.” Based on a New Yorker article by Jonathan Harr, “The Burial” follows a Black personal injury lawyer who takes on an unusual case amid prejudices in the South.
Per the official synopsis, inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral homeowner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary (Foxx) to save his family business. Tempers flare and laughter ensue as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate corruption and racial injustice in this inspirational, triumphant story.
O’Keefe sued Canadian funeral home Loewen Group in a history-making case 15 years ago.
Doug Wright and director Betts adapted the New Yorker article, with Wright behind the story. In addition to lead stars Jones and Foxx,...
The Oscar winner stars alongside Tommy Lee Jones for Maggie Betts’ follow-up to her 2017 breakout film “Novitiate.” Based on a New Yorker article by Jonathan Harr, “The Burial” follows a Black personal injury lawyer who takes on an unusual case amid prejudices in the South.
Per the official synopsis, inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral homeowner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary (Foxx) to save his family business. Tempers flare and laughter ensue as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate corruption and racial injustice in this inspirational, triumphant story.
O’Keefe sued Canadian funeral home Loewen Group in a history-making case 15 years ago.
Doug Wright and director Betts adapted the New Yorker article, with Wright behind the story. In addition to lead stars Jones and Foxx,...
- 9/7/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
“This fella tried to bully me out of business,” Jeremiah O’Keefe says. “I don’t think I should be expected to stand for it.” His wife reminds him, “You’ve never sued anybody before in your whole life.”
That’s about to change. Enter Willie E. Gary, a lawyer who “hasn’t lost a case in over 12 years.”
Here is the first trailer for Amazon Studios’ The Burial, in which Jones stars alongside fellow Oscar winner Jamie Foxx. Have a look above.
When a handshake deal goes sour, funeral homeowner O’Keefe (Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Gary (Foxx) to save his family business from a half-billion-dollar corporation whose brass are none too worried. “Who is this clown he’s hired as a lawyer?” one asks. The businessmen counter with a hotshot attorney of their own — one Mame Downes (Jurnee Smollett), who graduated at the top of her Harvard Law School...
That’s about to change. Enter Willie E. Gary, a lawyer who “hasn’t lost a case in over 12 years.”
Here is the first trailer for Amazon Studios’ The Burial, in which Jones stars alongside fellow Oscar winner Jamie Foxx. Have a look above.
When a handshake deal goes sour, funeral homeowner O’Keefe (Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Gary (Foxx) to save his family business from a half-billion-dollar corporation whose brass are none too worried. “Who is this clown he’s hired as a lawyer?” one asks. The businessmen counter with a hotshot attorney of their own — one Mame Downes (Jurnee Smollett), who graduated at the top of her Harvard Law School...
- 9/7/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Actors Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones are teaming up to bring true events to life in ‘The Burial’. The two actors recently discussed working together and what appealed to them about the story.
‘The Burial’, which will have its world premiere on September 11 at the Toronto International Film Festival, follows the real-life story of Jeremiah Joseph O’Keefe’s lawsuit against the Loewen Group, a Canadian funeral-home company, as documented by The New Yorker, reports ‘People’ magazine.
Asked about what drew him to ‘The Burial’, Foxx, who also co-produced the drama, told ‘People’ that it’s “a great American story” and noted, “We actually heard about this project probably 15 years ago. So it tells you how projects can be special. You hear about it 15 years ago, but now, everything lines up”.
“Maggie Betts lines up. [Producer] Datari Turner lines up. Everybody involved lines up, and then here we are embarking upon an incredible story,...
‘The Burial’, which will have its world premiere on September 11 at the Toronto International Film Festival, follows the real-life story of Jeremiah Joseph O’Keefe’s lawsuit against the Loewen Group, a Canadian funeral-home company, as documented by The New Yorker, reports ‘People’ magazine.
Asked about what drew him to ‘The Burial’, Foxx, who also co-produced the drama, told ‘People’ that it’s “a great American story” and noted, “We actually heard about this project probably 15 years ago. So it tells you how projects can be special. You hear about it 15 years ago, but now, everything lines up”.
“Maggie Betts lines up. [Producer] Datari Turner lines up. Everybody involved lines up, and then here we are embarking upon an incredible story,...
- 8/30/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Jamie Foxx will produce and star in Amazon Studios’ “The Burial,” centered on the legal battle over a funeral home chain during the 1990s.
“The Burial” is based on Jonathan Harr’s 1999 article in the New Yorker about the contractual dispute case brought against funeral home executive Ray Loewen by Mississippi businessman Jeremiah O’Keefe, who hired the flamboyant attorney Willie Gary. The jury awarded O’Keefe a total of $500 million, an amount which would bankrupt Loewen’s company.
“Novitiate” helmer Maggie Betts has been signed to direct from a script by Pulitzer Prize winner Doug Wright. Production companies are Amazon Studios, Bobby Shriver Inc. and Double Nickel Entertainment. Producers are Bobby Shriver, Double Nickel’s Adam Richman and Jenette Kahn along with Datari Turner.
Foxx won a best actor Oscar for “Ray” and was nominated in the supporting actor category for “Collateral.” He also starred in the legal drama “Just Mercy...
“The Burial” is based on Jonathan Harr’s 1999 article in the New Yorker about the contractual dispute case brought against funeral home executive Ray Loewen by Mississippi businessman Jeremiah O’Keefe, who hired the flamboyant attorney Willie Gary. The jury awarded O’Keefe a total of $500 million, an amount which would bankrupt Loewen’s company.
“Novitiate” helmer Maggie Betts has been signed to direct from a script by Pulitzer Prize winner Doug Wright. Production companies are Amazon Studios, Bobby Shriver Inc. and Double Nickel Entertainment. Producers are Bobby Shriver, Double Nickel’s Adam Richman and Jenette Kahn along with Datari Turner.
Foxx won a best actor Oscar for “Ray” and was nominated in the supporting actor category for “Collateral.” He also starred in the legal drama “Just Mercy...
- 11/10/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
While certain members of the Hollywood elite are hoping to avoid paying a visit to a courtroom, Downsizing director Alexander Payne is looking to create a little legal drama of his own with The Burial, a true-life crime feature for Amazon Studios. The Burial follows Willie Gary, a successful personal-injury lawyer from Mississippi, as he takes on the case of Jeremiah O'Keefe, the owner... Read More...
- 3/14/2018
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Alexander Payne is in talks to direct true-life legal drama The Burial for Amazon Studios.
The feature follows Willie Gary, a successful personal-injury lawyer from Mississippi, as he takes on the case of Jeremiah O'Keefe, the owner of a local chain of funeral homes. O'Keefe claims he had been swindled by a major funeral parlor conglomerate. Also a motivational speaker, Gary is known for taking on David v. Goliath-type cases, winning suits against companies like Disneyland and Anheuser-Busch.
Pulitzer-winning playwright Doug Wright penned the feature, which will be produced by Jenette Kahn and Adam Richman.
Payne, who's won two Oscars, for...
The feature follows Willie Gary, a successful personal-injury lawyer from Mississippi, as he takes on the case of Jeremiah O'Keefe, the owner of a local chain of funeral homes. O'Keefe claims he had been swindled by a major funeral parlor conglomerate. Also a motivational speaker, Gary is known for taking on David v. Goliath-type cases, winning suits against companies like Disneyland and Anheuser-Busch.
Pulitzer-winning playwright Doug Wright penned the feature, which will be produced by Jenette Kahn and Adam Richman.
Payne, who's won two Oscars, for...
- 3/14/2018
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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