Death at a Funeral (2010)

Aaron is a well-mannered and hard working young man, married to Michelle, and still living at his father's home. When his father dies, it is up to Aaron, the oldest son, to organize the funeral and give the eulogy. The funeral takes place in his father's home and Aaron tries to put on an appropriate expression on his face to welcome his relatives, including his famous writer brother Ryan and his father's friends. But preserving a civil atmosphere will be a hard thing to do, especially, when from the very start, the undertaker makes a horrifying mistake.

This movie has almost a scene-by-scene remake of a 2007 British movie with the same title, I think it's funnier than the original, it's due in large part to the strong cast and screenplay that makes this movie funny. Overall, "Death at a Funeral" is an excellent movie that is well worth watching if you want to have a laugh or a ton of laughs.

So, I did not watch the British version of this movie before watching this one; that being said, I thought this movie was laugh out loud hilarious! This movie was perfectly casted with some big names and excellent actors who brought the script to life. In my opinion, Tracy Morgan (ala 30 Rock) steals the #1 spot of funniest character, with James Marsden (ala X-Men trilogy) in a close second, and the crazy uncle played by Danny Glover in third. I don't really understand why people have rated this movie so badly, other than that maybe the British one is better. All comparisons aside, this is a well-written and well-acted comedy, unlike most these days, and is worth watching. RECOMMEND

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Are you kidding me?!

I caught this flick at a friend's house (read not by choice) and when I saw Peter Dinklage reprising the very same roll of Peter from the original Frank Oz production of 2007 I asked my friend to turn it off. This film is a complete exercise of futility.

The art of the ensemble is something Frank Oz handles with deft hands. Oz understands the importance of chemistry and timing in comedy subtlety. Three years later and Sony releases a near `frame by frame' remake that exemplifies all that can go wrong in an ensemble work. No matter how talented a cast a director (Neil LaBute) should facilitate a comedic ensemble by stressing underplay and nuance. In this remake LaBute looses or exercises little control and we end up with a one-upmanship mash up that is simply not funny. I was actually surprised that this was a LaBute film as he has a strong talent for controlling and facilitating the emotion in an actor's performance (I had the opportunity to see Sigourney Weaver in "The Mercy Seat" a devastatingly rich performance that highlights his skill as a performance driven director).

Bottom line is this film made me angry. I was angry that Sony, Labute, and Dean Craig (the writer on both versions of this film) felt it was necessary to rework the property into a dumb downed in your face version for an American audience.

My friends and I did watch the remainder of the Labute version and subsequently the Oz version all prefer the Oz version if for nothing else than it is a genuinely funny and entertaining ensemble comedy.

I feel Labute should stay away from re-visioning films that work in their original state as "The Whicker Man" and this death are potential career lowlights.

I give this film one star for the tremendously talented and funny cast whose directed performance was the true death at this funeral of a film.

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A re-make of a film only three years old, "Death at a Funeral" is not great; many of the gags fall flat and it's not a film I need to see again any time soon, but considering the lack of good comedies coming out of Hollywood today, this is not bad.

The best thing about the film is the cast. While I have always loved Chris Rock's stand up performances, I have always felt that his film work left something to be desired. Here, however, he is funny as Aaron, brother of a successful writer, Ryan (Martin Lawrence). Their father has died, which unites the family for the funeral, and things go awry at every turn.

Also included in the cast is Luke Wilson, Tracy Morgan, Danny Glover, James Marsden, Zoe Saldana, and Peter Dinklage, who reprises his role from the original film. To me, much like another recent comedy (Date Night), the script is so-so (written by Dean Craig, who wrote the original), but the cast elevates the material into something enjoyable and fun.

Like I say, the film is not great, and there was one scene in particular involving Danny Glover's character that I found to be far too crude and tasteless. However, if this cast appeals to you and the trailer peaks your curiosity, you will probably enjoy this film. If the cast does not appeal to you and the previews did not interest you, you probably would be better off skipping this one.

Want Death at a Funeral (2010) Discount?

It seems like only yesterday I was giving a passing grade to "Death at a Funeral," the 2007 British farce from director Frank Oz. Amazing, how quickly a remake can come along. What's even more amazing is that, despite being virtually the exact same film, this new 2010 version is even funnier. It is, in fact, the funniest film I've seen since "Get Smart." Before, the premise was crazy, but now, it reaches levels of insanity that I simply could not ignore. Oh, I tried to tell myself that I'm an adult now, that I'm too old to laugh at any of this, that I'm supposed to be out of my dirty jokes phase. But on this particular trip to the theater, I felt very immature indeed. Essentially, I let my guard down and just allowed myself to enjoy what I was watching.

You see, I normally wouldn't be amused by the sight of an old man sitting on a toilet and doing his business while someone else's hand is pinned underneath the seat. And usually, I would find the ... aftermath of this scene disgusting, cheap, lowbrow, and needlessly vulgar. But boy, how I laughed. Sometimes, it's nice to stop being a critic and allow yourself to take pleasure in what you're viewing.

Perhaps it helps that it features a great variety of stars, all of whom are naturally funny. At the center of it all is Chris Rock, who successfully balances the screenplay's use of slapstick comedy, witty dialogue, and quiet interludes, the latter surprisingly rich, if ultimately brief. He plays Aaron, who seems to have the weight of the world on his shoulders now that his father is dead and everyone is gathering at his home for the funeral. His wife, Michelle (Regina Hall), wants to get pregnant -on the day of the funeral. His mother (Loretta Devine) says nothing kind to Michelle and clearly favors her other son, a successful but financially irresponsible writer named Ryan (Martin Lawrence), who hasn't lived up to his end of the deal when it comes to paying for the funeral. Aaron, jealous because of his own failed writing ambitions, is continuously reminded that Ryan was expected to give the eulogy, not him.

Before long, he's approached by a dwarf named Frank (Peter Dinklage, reprising his role from the 2007 film). He has numerous pictures that prove he had been ... very, very close with Aaron's father. Unless he receives $30,000 in compensation, he will expose his secret to the rest of the family.

Other zany subplots are woven throughout the story, including the dead man's niece, Elaine (Zoe Saldana), having to get a handle on her boyfriend, Oscar (James Marsden), who mistook a hallucinogen for a valium and is now wreaking havoc all over the house. At the same time, she has to contend with her disapproving father (Ron Glass) and her ex-boyfriend, Derek (Luke Wilson), who seems incapable of taking no for an answer. We also meet the crotchety Uncle Russell (Danny Glover) and a family friend, Norman (Tracy Morgan), who Uncle Russell hates for no apparent reason. In one form or another, both find themselves drawn into the rapidly escalating Frank fiasco.

The director is Neil LaBute, whose film and stage work has been defined by unflinching depictions of human behavior (I exempt his remake of "The Wicker Man," a truly awful movie). Remember his previous film, "Lakeview Terrace"? Aside from being a genuinely thrilling ride, it was also one of the most intelligent, complex, and honest examinations of prejudice and relationships of recent memory. "Death at a Funeral" is certainly much different in tone, but it still benefits from LaBute's affinity for strong characters and themes. Yes, they're all greatly exaggerated, but not so much that we don't see some degree of truth in them; we believe in the reality of Aaron's personal and financial woes, we understand his wife's persistence, and we can sympathize with anyone who has had to deal with an Uncle Russell. As they say, there's one in every family.

I was also impressed with the quality of the performances, especially Marsden's; it's one thing to act like you're under the influence, but it's quite another thing to keep that act consistently interesting, and to make sure there's still a personality underneath it all. He manages this, making him not only funny, but engaging as well. Also of note is Danny Glover, who isn't given much screen time but definitely knows how to make the most of what little he has. He's over the top, but that's okay because, given the screwball nature of the plot, subtlety would not have been appropriate. I noted back in 2007 that the "fun" had been put back into "funeral." It seemed all right to say it then, but now I realize that I should have reserved it for this version. While the original was amusing, the new "Death at a Funeral" is truly a lot of fun.

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