Death At A Funeral

Released By: MGM
Released On: 06/07/2011
Director: Frank Oz
Cast:Matthew MacFadyen, Rupert Graves, Peter Vaughan, Ewen Bremner, Jane Asher

The Film:

Mention the words “family gathering”, and most people will shudder involuntarily. Birthdays, weddings, holidays, reunions…any event that involves being in close-quarters with a large number of relatives can be emotionally and physically destructive, especially when Uncle Bill or Second Cousin Dan get a skinful of booze in them and decide that it's time to take care of a 25 year-old grudge. This type of chaos isn't only limited to events where people feel obligated to be smiley and friendly to people that they don't particularly like the company of; funerals can be just as much of a free-for-all.

Frank Oz's Death At A Funeral tells the tale of just such an event. Having lost his father, Daniel and his wife prepare the family home in the English countryside for the welcoming of a rather large family for the funeral ceremony. The first indication that this might not go as smoothly as planned is the arrival of a casket containing the wrong body; but that's a drop in the bucket compared to when the guests start arriving. Daniel finds his stress further elevated when his famous novelist brother Robert arrives from New York City, and has forgotten his agreement to pay for half of the funeral; next up is the arrival of cousin Martha and her fiancé, Simon (Alan Tudyk)…who has accidentally ingested a powerful hallucinogen, courtesy of brother Troy, an aspiring chemist. Then, to make matters worse, other brother and chronic hypochondriac Howard (Alan Nyman) shows up with angry Uncle Alfie and Justin (Ewan Bremner), a one-night stand from Martha's past who is still in love with her. Last to arrive is a mysterious little man (Peter Dinklage), who has some dirt on the deceased, and has decided to use the occasion to make a little money.

Drugs, extortion, accidental homicide, fully nude near-suicides and fecal spray; for some of us, these are par for the course when it comes to family events. In the hands of Writer Dean Craig and Director Frank Oz, they're the cornerstones of a very funny film. Sticking to a formula that has worked for a number of British-style comedies, Death At A Funeral relies not only on a solid script, but also the straight-ahead delivery of the actors. Though a gag reel contained in the extra features shows that the key players find the material hilarious, their facial expressions and mannerisms in the film itself would suggest otherwise. As is usually the case, playing comedy straight is often the best route to a funny film. All of the actors are bang-on in their performances, playing their parts perfectly, right down to bit parts and cameos; and it's even got Jane Asher. How can you go wrong?

Although it was later remade (rather senselessly) starring Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence, the original version is of course the way to go. Even if you don't generally find comedy films to be entertaining, Death At A Funeral will probably crack you up.

Video/Audio/Extras:

MGM brings Death At A Funeral to blu-ray in a 1.85:1 transfer that looks just dandy. There are no nagging artifacts, and the picture is sharp and clear with strong black levels. The 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio track is also decent, though most of the sound stays up front with little action in the surrounds.

There aren't too many supplements on the disc, but what's here is good. First up, a Trailer and a Gag Reel that runs almost 8 minutes long. The Gag Reel is pretty much essential viewing, showing repeated takes of scenes ruined by the actors cracking up during their lines.

Not one, but TWO Commentaries are included on the disc. The first track is with Director Frank Oz, and it's a worthwhile listen with a lot of detail. Oz covers a lot of ground, from the title sequence to locations used in the film, shooting in a studio compared to shooting on location, working with the actors, costumes, and changing the script on-set, and doesn't leave too many quiet moments during the running time.

The next commentary is less detail-driven, but still very entertaining, as Writer Dean Craig and Actors Alan Tudyk and Andy Nyman relate a number of stories of things that happened during the making of the film.

Overall:

Death At A Funeral is one of the funniest films to hit the screen in the last 20 years, and you can't go wrong with purchasing this disc.