Death at a Funeral

Death at a Funeral ***

Directed by Frank Oz
Written by Dean Craig

Starring:
Matthew Macfadyen as Daniel
Keeley Hawes as Jane
Andy Nyman as Howard
Ewen Bremner as Justin
Daisy Donovan as Martha
Alan Tudyk as Simon
Jane Asher as Sandra
Kris Marshall as Troy
Rupert Graves as Robert
Peter Vaughan as Uncle Alfie
Peter Dinklage as Peter

91 Minutes(Rated R for language and drug content. )
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Death at a Funeral" is straight comedy-pure and simple-with a nice little moment of poignancy at the very end. It's farce, so expect the humor to go more over the top than should be allowed, but it's consistently funny, and most of the jokes are real winners. I expect a lot from Frank Oz-the voice of characters like Miss. Piggy and Yoda-who has directed many comedy winners of the past like "Bowfinger" and "In & Out," and decent fare like "The Stepford Wives." Here he is doing something a little different-he's working with British humor-known for being over the top and ridiculous. And even though he is American he really does let the British culture shine through, with only a couple of references to America and their comedy. The slang stays the same-"loo," "flat," etc-and the jokes really do mark their culture. This is zany fun, and that's just what it wanted to be from the start.

The film all takes place in the home of Daniel and Jane, who live with Daniel's mother Sandra. It is the day of his father's funeral, and Daniel wants it all to go off without a hitch. Jane is concerned about Daniel putting a deposit on a new flat, and is anxious to get away from Sandra and start their lives together. And slowly the guests start to come in. There is Robert, Daniel's writer brother. Even though Daniel has written a novel he won't let anyone see it, and he is constantly living in his brothers shadow. There is Howard and Justin. Howard seems to be a family friend, and Justin is a friend of Howard's. The only reason Justin is going is to talk to Martha, a cousin of Daniel's who slept with Justin once during a drunken mistake. She wants little or nothing to do with him. She has come with her boyfriend Simon, and when they pick up her brother Troy-training to be a pharmacist but is apt at creating hallucinogenic substances-Simon takes a pill in a bottle marked Valium and it turns out to make him hallucinate and begin to fear that there is something moving in the coffin. And then there's Uncle Alfie, the loud and foul mouthed wheelchair relative, and a strange short man that nobody seems to know anything about, and is holding a secret that will mark the day as something to remember.

It's really hard to talk about plot for the film, and only a rundown of the characters will really do. Suffice to say that there is an event that takes place, about forty minutes in, that makes the remaining fifty minutes a long spiral up to the inevitable revelation of everything. Although the big secret is revealed at the end of the films trailer, those who have not seen it need not be subjected to what it is. I wish I never saw any advertisements for the film, because almost every single shot in the trailer gives a minor revelation, and to me the film did not have many surprises because of it. At least not as many as it should have. Everything in the film leads to the next, and its up to the ensemble to take ideas and concepts so ridiculous that they appear realistic and could work, in an odd way. The ensemble here does this, and I felt that they worked very well together. There is no real highlight or standout, and everyone takes their part with stride. I liked Matthew Macfadyen as the straight man-trying to remain sane in the midst of all this chaos. I liked Alan Tudyk as the man forced into drugs for the whole film and ends up losing his clothes halfway through. And I like Peter Dinklage as Peter, the catalyst of most of the events and the only American in the cast. Dinklage always manages to bring something something to the table, and even though he does not get leads like "The Station Agent" very often, it is the small roles that make me remember that someone out there knows who he is.

So to sum up, "Death at a Funeral" is well acted, very funny, and smartly written British farce. But it is far from perfect. While about ninety percent of the jokes are winners, there were a small few that just didn't make the cut. One of them included a rather graphic image (or images) that I could have lived without (a bit less than the graphic images that are in "Knocked Up," but still not something I want to see in a movie). I think I could have lived without the Uncle Alfie character, because we have seen that type before. It is always "important" to have a foul mouthed elder, as these comedies like to show ("Wedding Crashers" does it as well), but I never really find them funny, and sadly the very last shot which should have ended the credits with a bang, suffers because it features the uncle. You'll see how. The ending came a few minutes too late, and I could have lived without the final closure epilogue. The closure that the scene features could have been done in another way, and I would have preferred that it end with the sweet and poignant message that comes during the climax. It would have ended at a higher note, and not in the obvious and crude way that it did.

Minor imperfections aside, "Death at a Funeral" is wicked fun. Frank Oz doesn't make films often enough, but when it does they are quick and breezy comedies-pure escape at the movies. This is no exception, and it is more fun that August is providing, in an odd twist of fate.

Now Playing At:

BAM Rose Cinemas

Landmark Sunshine Cinemas