One to see: Death at a Funeral (2007)
June 24th 2008 05:55
It's no Monty Python classic but as far as British comedies go, Death at a Funeral is a rollicking good ride. Featuring a top cast including Matthew MacFadyen and Rupert Graves, I found this film to be both original and laugh-out-loud funny.
On the day of his father's funeral, Daniel (MacFadyen) is stressed about having to deal with his dysfunctional family, including his pretentious novelist brother Robert (Graves) who is flying in from New York. Meanwhile, Daniel's cousin Martha (Daisy Donovan) and her solicitor fiancé Simon (Alan Tudyk) are feeling nervous about having to impress Martha's overbearing father. Simon is mistakenly given a powerful hallucinogen belonging to Martha's pharmaceutical drug-dealer brother, and is in a thoroughly tripped-out state by the time they arrive at the funeral, which later makes him prone to inappropriate outbursts and public nudity. Add to this a neurotic cousin, a foul-mouthed geriatric uncle and an amorous friend intent on stealing Martha away from Simon, and you've got all manner of craziness - and that's even before the arrival of a mysterious midget guest who holds a family secret that must be kept hidden at all costs.
Death at a Funeral is an irreverant take on the British stiff upper lip, and is truly a laugh a minute. It's not perfect by any means - there is some rather vile and unnecessary toilet humour, for example - but it makes up for its flaws with an entirely unpredictable script and countless twists and turns. It's one to rent if you're looking for a fast-paced, riotous film with a cast that will have you laughing from beginning to end.
On the day of his father's funeral, Daniel (MacFadyen) is stressed about having to deal with his dysfunctional family, including his pretentious novelist brother Robert (Graves) who is flying in from New York. Meanwhile, Daniel's cousin Martha (Daisy Donovan) and her solicitor fiancé Simon (Alan Tudyk) are feeling nervous about having to impress Martha's overbearing father. Simon is mistakenly given a powerful hallucinogen belonging to Martha's pharmaceutical drug-dealer brother, and is in a thoroughly tripped-out state by the time they arrive at the funeral, which later makes him prone to inappropriate outbursts and public nudity. Add to this a neurotic cousin, a foul-mouthed geriatric uncle and an amorous friend intent on stealing Martha away from Simon, and you've got all manner of craziness - and that's even before the arrival of a mysterious midget guest who holds a family secret that must be kept hidden at all costs.
Martha and Simon attempt to impress
Death at a Funeral is an irreverant take on the British stiff upper lip, and is truly a laugh a minute. It's not perfect by any means - there is some rather vile and unnecessary toilet humour, for example - but it makes up for its flaws with an entirely unpredictable script and countless twists and turns. It's one to rent if you're looking for a fast-paced, riotous film with a cast that will have you laughing from beginning to end.
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