Death at a Funeral
Director: Frank Oz
Starring: Matthew Macfadyen, Keeley Hawes, Andy Nyman, Ewen Bremner, Daisy Donovan, Alan Tudyk, Rupert Graves, Peter Dinklage, Jane Asher, Peter Egan.
An enjoyable British stiff upper lip comedy that slowly grabs your sides and makes you laugh out loud.
A dysfunctional family or perhaps a normal British family full of contentions and jealousies gather for the patriarch's funeral. The comedy sparks ignite by the mistaken ingestion of a hallucinogenic by the daughter's boyfriend with the resulting weirdness (he gets naked) cast against British reserve. Builds the flame with unfortunate mishaps and burns hilariously when mystery funeral attendee (dwarf Peter Dinklage) reveals his secret extortion plot and frantic inept attempts from the dead man's sons to quietly put it aside result in louder and louder infractions of the sacred reserve of a British funeral.
While not of the caliber of British top class fare such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, it is definitely a good first hit out for first time screenwriter Dean Craig, backed up by the direction of Frank Oz ( Bowfinger, In & Out) and solid performances from Matthew Macfadyen, Keely Hawes, Andy Nyman and Peter Dinklage.
Given the low-key profile (unknown actors) of this effort but success nevertheless, we are likely to see an American version with name actors appearing on our screens in the very near future. Before that happens go and see the original, you can always say you saw it before it was a big American production. And it's worthy of your support.
3½ Stars out of 5
Eddie Crismani
Death at a Funeral depicts some of the most delightfully eccentric plotlines I've seen in years, with outstanding performances by a menagerie of talented comedians. Set on a sunny afternoon at an English country house, the characters gather to pay their last respects to an "extraordinary man". The film opens with Daniel (played by Matthew MacFadyen) making last minute preparations for his father's funeral. One immediately finds out what to expect from this outrageous comedy when, directly after the opening credits, Daniel is forced to tell the funeral directors that they've brought the wrong corpse.
Finding not only British comedians for the film but also some talented Americans (namely Alan Tudyk & Peter Dinklage) the comedic chemistry on screen is exceptional. This film's particular brand of chaos begins with an accident involving mislabelled pharmaceuticals, and continues with a startling announcement from an uninvited guest. The cliché 'never a dull moment' is masterfully resurrected in this British comedy, directed by Frank Oz.
Fans of former UK romps such as Four Weddings & a Funeral or Keeping Mum will not be disappointed! I give it a hearty Four Stars!
Nicola Dowland
