| Death at a Funeral (2007) |  | Director: Frank Oz
Actors: Matthew Macfadyen, Keeley Hawes, Andy Nyman, Ewen Bremner, Daisy Donovan
Studio: MGM
Category: Movie
Buy New: $2.99
as of 9/10/2010 08:44 CEST details
In Stock
Seller: Amazon Video On Demand
Rating:  201 reviews
Sales Rank: 50
Genre: Comedy
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 91 Minutes
ASIN: B0016LTNL4
Theatrical Release Date: February 1, 2007
Release Date: May 16, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Synopsis:
This nutty British comedy observes with jet black humor the myriad of 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 that causes uncontrollable exhibitionism, and the disclosure of the deceased's closeted kinky homosexuality - befall the grief-stricken mourners. |
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 201
 Mildly Entertaining English Comedy of Errors August 31, 2010
Wandrwoman (NY, NY)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is the sort of drawing room comedy that the English do properly. The director, Frank Oz was born in England and can do very good comedic work, so why is this film flaccid and slightly off mark?
The premise is promising; an assortment of serious, well meaning, middle-class characters assemble at what appears to be a gracious "country home" for a funeral.
What life event is more sacrosanct than a funeral? The one event where proper manners and appropriate expressions of sympathy must accompany deep displays of loss and despair. This is even more so at a middle-class funeral in England where emotional restraint is the national way. Unlike the US where anything goes and self expression of even the most base emotions is considered healthy......this is England where one is asked to "stay strong and carry on".
And so, this movie is about an English funeral where absolutely everything that can go wrong, goes wrong. Really, really wrong. In so many, many ways. And yes, this is very funny indeed!
However, something is amiss. The cast is excellent but not given the cinematic tools to be truly hilarious.
Daniel (played by an oddly swollen and pasty be-still-my-heart, Matthew Macfadyen), the dutiful, caring and overshadowed second son who, along with his wife Jane (Keeley Hawes), lives in this stately home with his parents. It is his father who has died and it is Daniel's responsibility to organize and pay for the funeral and deliver the eulogy. Daniel and Jane are the dramatic foils who attempt to make sense out of the mayhem that quickly ensues.
Daniel's mother, the grieving widow, is played by Jane Asher (early girlfriend of Paul McCartney and sister of Peter Asher). She is quite glamorous, perfectly coiffed and groomed and although she is wearing black (Chanel?) its a bit difficult to truly worry about her. She will get on with it, one suspects.
Why oh why has this mommy dearest stuck Daniel with the bill for her husband's funeral? As if that's not enough, her obviously favored son, Robert (played by Rupert Graves), a fabulously successful author living in New York, also feels no responsibility to contribute "to the cause". Robert has spent all his money to purchase first class plane tickets in order to come to the funeral. If Daniel has to pay for the funeral all by himself he and Jane will not have enough money to buy a flat and move out of mommy's house. And Daniel has to deliver the eulogy even though he is constantly reminded that his brother, the famous writer, is so much better at words!
If the plot so far sounds a bit thin....you are right. It's lighter than air.
The comedic highlights of the movie come from the physical comedy provided by Simon (Alan Tudyk) the insecure boyfriend and secret fiance of cousin Martha. Simon accidently ingests a hallucinogenic pill, instead of Valium, on the way to the funeral and it is his behavior that starts the unfortunate chain of events. Alan Tudyk is hilarious even when stark naked. (I would like to add here that he is perhaps one of the whitest white men ever to appear naked on the screen.)
The rest of the characters fall into generic types: hapless hypochondriacs, creepy snarks, and grumpy, elderly uncles in wheelchairs.
Oh, yes. There is a mysterious American midget...... whatever is he doing at the funeral?
Uh oh!
 A dark comedy that will leave you breathless with laughter August 15, 2010
Dara H (Virginia)
British satire at it's best, Death At A Funeral is a dark comedy full of painful humor. There's not a person in the world who could watch this and not laugh at it.
There really are no words for this brilliant film. Just go watch it. Now. Seriously.
Much better than the 2010 remake August 14, 2010
Barbara Graettinger (Irving, TX United States)
I have watched both versions and this is by far the best. It may not have the high-powered stars of the 2010 version but it has more laughs. You will want to watch it over and over because there is so much going on you will find new laughs with each viewing. It is one of those movies that becomes an old friend. Frank Oz (Sesame St. fame) is behind the camera and makes a highly believable movie even though the laughs are over the top. A must-see film bound to be a cult classic. In fact, I just watched the remake and feel like pulling this one out of the cabinet and watching it right now.
Death at a Funeral, English Version August 12, 2010
Rockresearchergal
This is one of the best small screen comedies I've seen in ages. Typical British humour with great acting.
 Hilarious August 10, 2010
Susan
This English film usually results in sides aching from laughter for my guests and myself, every time.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 201
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