From director Frank Oz (“In and Out,” “Bowfinger,” “The Stepford Wives”) comes “Death at a Funeral,” a British farce that offers enough hilarious moments to please all kinds of comedy lovers.
As its title might suggest, the film takes place during the funeral of a British family patriarch. Among the zany cast of characters is Daniel (Matthew MacFadyen, “Pride and Prejudice”), the son who desperately wants to live up to his novelist brother, Robert (Rupert Graves).
Daniel’s wife, Jane (Keeley Hawes), is distracted with plans to move her and Daniel out of his mother’s home for good, while Daniel’s neurotic friend Howard (Andy Nyman) attempts to put up with the cantankerous Uncle Alfie (Peter Vaughan).
Meanwhile, cousins Martha (Daisy Donovan) and Troy (Kris Marshall, “Love Actually”) are trying to hide the fact that Martha’s fiancee (Alan Tudyk, “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story,” “Knocked Up”) accidentally took a hallucinogenic medication from Troy’s stash, thinking it was Valium. And amid the chaos, a diminutive stranger (Peter Dinklage) arrives with some shocking news about the deceased father of the family.
“Death at a Funeral” is set up like any basic farce. The first few minutes are slow and calculated, giving the audience time to observe the characters, the setting and the circumstances. But as with most farces, it doesn’t take long for something to go awry and for humorous situations to arise. Once that ball gets rolling, “Death at a Funeral” easily keeps audiences in stitches.
The film is worth seeing solely for Alan Tudyk. He steals every scene he’s in as the drugged-out Simon. At first, the accidental acid trip seems like it’s stolen from an American teen comedy, such as the similar situation in 2002’s “Orange County,” starring Colin Hanks and Jack Black. However, much to the credit of “Death at a Funeral” writer Dean Craig, the joke never gets old here. Tudyk runs with the material, letting the hilarity build. His facial expressions and firm grasp of comic timing and physical comedy make him the standout player in this strong ensemble cast.
Kris Marshall and Andy Nyman also shine, particularly in their scenes together. Nyman’s hypochondriac character provides a comedic foil for Marshall’s bumbling slacker character
“Death at a Funeral” adeptly manages to combine humor and heart while focusing on a subject that doesn’t usually bring comedy to mind. The script is tight- it knows which scenes are going to kill and appropriately builds to those scenes. Although most of the humor is situational, the script is clever and has many sharp one-liners that are skillfully delivered.
Frank Oz delivers a delightful film that humorously showcases a dysfunctional family without resorting to needless melodrama. “Death at a Funeral” is easy to enjoy and has a sense of humor that appeals to just about everybody.
