DEATH AT A FUNERAL
Directed by Frank Oz; written by Dean Craig; director of photography, Oliver Curtis; edited by Beverley Mills; music by Murray Gold
With: Matthew Macfadyen, Keeley Hawes, Andy Nyman, Ewen Bremner, Daisy Donovan, Alan Tudyk, Jane Asher, Kris Marshall, Rupert Graves, Peter Vaughan, Thomas Wheatley, Peter Egan, and Peter Dinklage. Rated R. Running time: 90 minutes

Reviewed by Joel Johnson

Director Frank Oz’s latest film is a big leap forward from his last—the disappointing remake of The Stepford Wives that featured an all-star cast with Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Glenn Close, Bette Midler, Faith Hill, Jon Lovitz, and Christopher Walken. Death at a Funeral, however, is able to succeed exactly because it is able to do certain things at which The Stepford Wives failed. Death at a Funeral has a distinguished cast of fine, well-known British actors—especially if you watch a lot of British television—but the star wattage is considerably lower than The Stepford Wives. However, star-power was not the major problem with The Stepford Wives, though the oversized personas of stars can definitely steal attention from the story a film is trying to tell.

The story of Death at a Funeral begins with the script written by Dean Craig. Craig has crafted an audaciously dark comedy about death, drugs, love, life, sibling rivalry, and deep, dark secrets. The writing not only needs to be precise in realizing comic situations, but the actors have to completely sell their characters in those situations to the audience. This is what Matthew Macfadyen, Keeley Hawes, Rupert Graves, Peter Egan, Peter Vaughn, Peter Dinklage, Kris Marshall, Daisy Donovan, Andy Nyman, and, especially, Alan Tudyk are able to do. This film works because the actors play the scenes right to the hilt absolutely straight. They are real people struggling to get through difficult, perversely funny situations. This is exactly where The Stepford Wives went so very wrong because the actors seemed to be continually nudging, winking, mugging, and playing for laughs as if they actually thought they were doing something incredibly funny.

Death at a Funeral is an outstanding ensemble film with fine performances from the entire cast. There is no performance that is a weak link. Alan Tudyk (who appears in a much different role in 3:10 to Yuma) carries much of the comedy in a daring role that has him literally naked for much of the film. I had a great time at this movie, and I am not altogether a pushover for comedies. Though this film would work on the little screen of home viewing to be appreciated for its visual richness, I would strongly urge people to see this film in the theatrical setting. Because the characters are not playing for laughs and trying to cue the audience that something is funny, it would be easy for lone viewers at home to not quite respond to the humor in the dark material. This is the type of film for which there are bursts and ripples of laughter that go through an audience in a theater. These outbursts have an infectious quality and help persuade members of the audience that the film they are watching, despite the dark story bereft of any obvious comic trappings, is—in fact—a comedy. Whether you get to see it in a theater or at home, enjoy it!