To spell funeral you have to start with “fun” and this drawing room comedy delivers it in spades. I’m not sure that you’d expect an English drawing room comedy to be directed by Miss Piggy but this one turns out to be a laugh fest.
To steal from the best, Edward (Gareth Milne, also stunt coordinator) was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner.
However, the undertaker just happens to bring the wrong body to begin with and so begins our tale of errors. The family will have Dickens of a time laying Edward to rest, as his respectful final sendoff turns into a madhouse in jolly old England. His son Daniel (Matthew MacFadyen) is preparing the eulogy, but is under the shadow of his brother Robert (Rupert Graves), a successful novelist who has immigrated to New York.
Daniel is expecting Robert to foot half the bill for laying dad to rest, but spent his last dime on a first class ticket to the funeral. This doesn’t set well with Daniel since he and his wife Jane (Keeley Hawes) were looking to use the money that is now going to have to pay for the funeral to make a down payment on a new flat so they can move out of the grieving widow’s (Jane Asher) house.
Martha (Daisy Donovan) is bringing her boyfriend Simon (Alan Tudyk) to the funeral to make a good impression on her father Victor (Peter Egan), the deceased’s brother. Along the way they pick up her brother Troy (Kris Marshall), a pharmacist who has brewed up a batch of potent LSD.
He hides it in an empty Valium bottle, but Martha gives Simon one, thinking its Valium, to calm his nerves at meeting Victor. It has quite the opposite effect (“It’s so green!”). A stranger of short stature (Peter Dinklage) shows up at the funeral with a secret about Edward that only adds to the chaos that has already engulfed the ceremony.
Frank Oz last made the somewhat reviled remake of the Stepford Wives and it might’ve caused some to worry about his future career in the director’s chair. He now returns to fine form in this English comedy that is nowhere near short of laughs. In fact, it’s got a coffin full. The majority of which come from Alan Tudyk as the harried Simon who wanted to make a good impression on his future father-in-law and ends up making an impression and one that no one will soon forget.
The set of mad circumstances that surround Edward’s big send off and the revelations about the dearly departed are also the fodder from some grand comic moments. To say more would spoil the fun. It must be a human trait but when you want the belly laughs always go for some potty humor and Oz is not about going into the can.
Death at a Funeral is a fun as a handful of Troy’s spiked Valiums and you’ll want to take a handful.
Death at a Funeral is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include a commentary track from director Frank Oz, writer Dean Craig, and actors Alan Tudyk and Andy Nyman (who had a devil of a time taking Uncle Alfie to the can). Next are a 7-minute gag reel and a collection of trailers for other Fox DVDs.
Death at a Funeral will have you laughing till you drop. We may have a fear of death but you’ve nothing to fear but a busted gut from this hilarious comedy.
Death at a Funeral is now available at Amazon and AmazonUK . Visit the DVD database for more information.
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