Editorial Review:

Description:
From acclaimed director Frank Oz (In & Out, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) comes "a fast, furious and riotously funny farce" (Maxim) that'll have you dying with laughter!

As the mourners and guests at a British country manor struggle valiantly to "keep a stiff upper lip," a dignified ceremony devolves into a hilarious, no-holds-barred debacle of misplaced cadavers, indecent exposure, and shocking family secrets. Packed with extras including audio commentaries and an uproarious gag reel, Death at a Funeral blows the lid off the proverbial coffin as "the film's delicious comic flourishes... sight gags, slapstick, flawless timing... are served up by an outstanding cast" (O, The Oprah Magazine).

Amazon.com:
Though it doesn't hit the same comic heights as Bowfinger, Death at a Funeral is a fun little romp. Granted, not all of the characters are meant to be humorous, like Daniel (Matthew Macfadyen, Pride & Prejudice) and his wife, Jane (Keeley Hawes, Tristram Shandy), straight-faced foils for the more over-the-top performers. After Daniel's father passes away, the couple offers to host the funeral, so all his relatives descend on the family abode, including Daniel's estranged brother, Robert (Rupert Graves, V for Vendetta). The mood is already tense when their cousin, Martha (Daisy Donovan), arrives with her nervous fiancé, Simon (Alan Tudyk, Serenity). On the way over, Simon takes a Valium that's actually a hallucinogenic concoction cooked up by Martha's pharmacology student brother. By the time they arrive, Simon's inhibitions are gone with the wind. Other guests include Uncle Alfie (Peter Vaughn) and an uninvited American mourner (Peter Dinklage). By the end of the movie, one of these individuals will be dead. Though he's worked in the States for several decades, director Frank Oz was born in the UK, and Death at a Funeral feels like the work of a British filmmaker. As drawing room comedies go, it may not rival Arsenic and Old Lace, but it's still funnier than most. If the film has a flaw, it's one misjudged moment of scatological humor, which is sure to induce more cringes than giggles. Fortunately, it's over quickly, and Tudyk's hilarious performance provides ample compensation. --Kathleen C. Fennessy


Beyond Death at a Funeral

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Stills from Death at a Funeral

True Bristish comedy with a dash of Matthew McFayden and tons of laughs. You can't go wrong with this movie.

Average Rating:

Rating: - Hilarious
True Bristish comedy with a dash of Matthew McFayden and tons of laughs. You can't go wrong with this movie.

Rating: - Lot's Of Laughs - Chaotic Comedy
Using that most serious of events, a funeral, as a setting for a comedy that has everything from bathroom humor to clever bits about misuse of hallucinogens and sexual blackmail was brilliant. The movie is very tightly written and directed with some very good British actors providing good all around performances. Death At A Funeral is definitely worth checking out for some laughs.

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Rating: - slapstick but funny
If you like British humor I can't see how you could not love this movie. The plot thickens around a mistakenly given drug overdose of hallucinatory drugs to the husband to be of the daughter of the deceased who are on their way to the funeral. The funeral is being held at the country home/estate of the deceased. The laughs begin immediately and they last till the end. I won't ruin the movie by divulging anymore of the plot! I watched it twice in two days.

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Rating: - "Death at a Funeral": a British Farce
I don't exactly know what makes (some, if not all) British comedies so attractive, but to me the biggest reason is talented actors and witty script. I don't know Frank Oz-directed "Death at a Funeral" should be really called "British" comedy, but it certainly has an impressive list of actors including Matthew Macfadyen and Keeley Hawes. Interestingly, the film's script (penned by Dean Craig) looks as if heavily revised by the directors of "There's Something About Mary." Not exactly a bad thing, though.

"Death at a Funeral" opens with one embarrassing (and funny) mistake done to the body of recently deceased father of Daniel (Matthew Macfadyen) Through the slow and rather talky opening chapters, the film introduces a group of characters gathering for the funeral of Daniel's father. But among the people there is one person no one seems to know, and one of the family members suddenly starts to act strangely after taking a pill. Daniel has many things to worry about and one of them is about the "death at his father's funeral."

Don't expect Andrew Davies or Richard Curtis here. Or "The Trouble with Harry," either. "Death at a Funeral" is more like a farce and it delivers the goods. As the film's story goes on, it becomes more and more ridiculous and absurd. The comedy is mostly about toilet jokes (literally), nude jokes, jokes about hallucinogenic drug and so on. Just keep in mind that the director is responsible for "In & Out" and Kevin Kline was so brilliant in the otherwise ordinary comedy.

And so are the actors in "Death at a Funeral." The film relies on old materials, but the gifted actors barely make it watchable. Perhaps whether you like it or depends on the mood you are in.

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Rating: - hysterical
What more to say. This is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. You have to be into British humor, but if you are, this movie is absolutely hysterical.

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