Departing in Style (5): Death at a Funeral
It’s movie time on Daily Dose of Art! To continue with our feature on “Departing in Style”, I bring you “Death at a Funeral”.
The death of a family member is a very sad time but it is also a very challenging time. Why? Because whether family members are friends or foes – sane or insane – they still have to come together to share that one last moment with the common beloved.
(UK, 2007)
MOVIE INFO
from Rotten Tomatoes
This nutty British comedy observes with jet-black humor the myriad outrageous calamities that befall an eccentric English clan with more than a few skeletons in its closets when its patriarch dies an unexpected death. Soon, every complication imaginable — including the wrong corpse in the coffin, the accidental consumption of hallucinogenic drugs, and the disclosure of the deceased’s closeted homosexuality — befall the grief-stricken mourners.
The funeral commences at the family estate, with the arrival of younger son Daniel (Matthew MacFadyen), who has long felt uncomfortable around his cocky, licentious novelist brother, Robert (Rupert Graves) — and thus dreads seeing him. Meanwhile, Daniel is also struggling to adhere to promises he’s made to his wife (Keeley Hawes). Also arriving at the house are cousin Martha (Daisy Donovan) and her intended, Simon (Alan Tudyk), who embarrasses just about everybody, including himself, by accidentally consuming a strange drug that inflicts him with wild delusions and gives him an uncontrollable penchant for exhibitionism. But the event that truly turns the family members onto their ears is the arrival of a dwarf (Peter Dinklage) who speaks openly of the patriarch’s secret passions, which included dressing up in a kinky gladiator outfit and watching young men skinny-dip. Frank Oz (In & Out, Bowfinger) helmed the film, while Dean Craig authored the script. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
-Death at a Funeral (UK, 2007) received a 61% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
In 2010, an American version of the movie was produced by Chris Rock
Frank Oz’s 2007 black comedy Death at a Funeral is given the remake treatment with an urban spin in this Chris Rock-produced production. When a dysfunctional clan reuintes to mourn the passing of the family patriarch, a respectful funeral quickly turns into an all-out fiasco marked by bitter resentment, blackmail attempts, and scandalous revelations. Dean Craig penned the script for director Neil LaBute (The Wicker Man), with Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, and Danny Glover co-starring.
~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi (Rotten Tomatoes)
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