Frem Here To Awesome Festival
Advertisement

Death at a Funeral
  • 0
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Rate this movie.

Buy it now on DVD
Starting at $11.21
trailerWatch trailer

Rent it, watch it, find it

Advertisement

Directed by Frank Oz.
This nutty British comedy observes with jet black humor the myriad of outrageous calamities that befall an eccentric English clan with more than a few skeletons in its closets, when its patriarch dies an unexpected death. Soon, every complication imaginable - including the wrong corpse in the coffin, the accidental consumption of hallucinogenic drugs and the disclosure of the deceased's closeted homosexuality - befall the grief-stricken mourners. The funeral commences at the family estate, with the arrival of younger son Daniel (Matthew MacFayden), a Manhattanite who has long felt uncomfortable around his cocky, licentious novelist brother Robert (Rupert Graves) - and thus dreads seeing him. Meanwhile, Daniel is also struggling to adhere to promises he's made to his wife (Keely Hawes). Also arriving at the house are cousin Martha (Daisy Donovan) and her intended, Simon (Alan Tudyk), who embarrasses just about everybody, including himself, by accidentally consuming a strange drug that imparts him with wild delusions and gives him an uncontrollable penchant for exhibitionism. But the event that truly turns the family members onto their ears is the arrival of a dwarf (Peter Dinklage) who speaks openly of the patriarch's secret passions, which included dressing up in a kinky gladiator outfit and watching young men skinny-dip. Frank Oz (In and Out, Bowfinger) helms; Dean Craig authored the script. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
[more]

Reviews and discussions

Write a review

dibotdibot Multiple reviews for which I co ...
by dibot in dibot Blog
loved it.
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"I found the directing as well as the camera work interesting in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. The point-of-view shots were especially claustrophobic and an inventive way of putting us in the place of Jean-Dominique Bauby, the French editor of Elle magazine, whose stroke left him paralyzed except for one eyelid. It's a good movie, but I didn't think it was great. To me, the idea of it seems better than the actual film. Death at a Funeral is one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. A British comedy that focuses on a family gathering for a funeral, this film has lots of laughs as well as touching moments. My favorite bits involve Alan Tudyk (Wash from "Firefly"). He ends up taking some acid mislabeled as valium before the service, and hijinks ensue. Definitely see this. To investigate the phenomenon that is Tyler Perry, I checked out Why Did I Get Married? And wondered why did I bother? Four couples meet once a year for a retreat where they wor ... " [More]
mercurialmercurial Death at a Funeral - Review
by mercurial in a filmblog
liked it.
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Apparently the gross out comedies that have littered American cinemas for the past decade have crossed the pond and left quite an indelible mark on English filmmakers. With a readily identifiable British sense of humor, Death at a Funeral manages to break out of the mold (undoubtedly due to Frank Oz and his wide-ranging film history) and weave together a laughable and highly entertaining comedy that will have even the most stoic of persons smirking with delight (or possibly cringing like a janitor at a vomitorium). Even with its slightly derivative moments, great performances by Alan Tudyk, Andy Nyman and Peter Dinklage keep the audience interested until the very end. " [More]
leexineleexine Funeral's ARE fun!
by leexine in leexine Blog
loved it.
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"This movie will have you in stiches. Every charactor makes you laugh, and Alan Tudyk on drugs is to die for (oh the pun!). I saw it in theaters and the audience was dying with laughter... before I write any more horrible puns, let me just say this movie will have you laughing through out; and don't worry, if you don't like 'dry british humour' it doesn't matter, it's not that type of comedy. Grab some friends and enjoy! " [More]
erico_77375erico_77375 Die Laughing At A Funeral
by erico_77375 in erico_77375 Blog
liked it.
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"British farce is a love potion of comedy, vary rarely is it pulled off with the precise timing required, the precise attitude taken, and with the careless abandon needed to make it fun. So, obviously the right director to try it would be Frank Oz. His movie, Death at a Funeral, starts the comedy off straight at the title and keeps you laughing up to the point the movie is over. A daunting feat alone, but even more so when revealed that Oz is a * gasp * American. But along with his writer Dean Craig and a very talented ensemble, he shows that the Yanks are capable of playing at the old boy’s game.The movie revolves around a three-hour period that a funeral is taking place, definitely not funny, right? First comes the body, which is immediately identified by grieving son Daniel (Matthew MacFadyen) as NOT being his father. So out goes the undertaker with casket. In come fellow mourners like Martha and Simon (Daisy Donovan and Alan Tudyk) along with Martha’s brother. We hav ... " [More]
HairyLimeHairyLime No Weddings and One Funeral
by HairyLime in HairyLime Blog
liked it.
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Saw this at the multiplex this weekend. Laugh out loud black comedy with a whole mess of Brit actors that look sort of familiar (we had to go home and imdb the whole bunch of them, everyone except Peter Dinklage that is). The set ups seemed a bit forced in the beginning, i.e.: hallucinagenic drugs in the wrong bottle, cranky old wheelchair bound uncle, dead dad with a secret, parson who really really has to be out of here by 3:00 - like you are able to see the puppeteers hands working the strings. But once you relax into it and get familiar with the characters a bit it works like a charm. But I wonder if years from now I'll return to it, like I did with 'A Fish Called Wanda', and wonder what it was I found so sidesplittingly funny. " [More]
IndieFlixIndieFlix SIFF Film Review: “Death At A F ...
by IndieFlix in IndieFlix Blog
loved it.
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Death At A Funeral was one of those rare movie experiences where one can remember why we pay what we do to go to movies on the big screen (aside from seeing it on a big screen). Frank Oz’s comedy about an upper class family funeral going horribly, hilariously wrong toted a solid, witty script and actors (of note is Alan Tudyk, whose antics brought the strongest laughs throughout the film), and we were delighted.It wasn’t just the major, obviously comedic points that had us laughing, but even the smaller, subtle moments that would normally elicit a lone chuckle seemed to catch with everybody at the Neptune. It became not just a movie experience, but also one of community bonding, in a dark theatre, with strangers, laughing ourselves to tears. " [More]
lizpop99lizpop99 Fun British Romp on Rails
by lizpop99 in lizpop99 Blog
liked it.
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"I wasn't really aware of Frank Oz until Death at a Funeral, but Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and What About Bob?, both directed by Oz, were crucial comedy experiences for me. What’s not to love about Steve Martin as the “special” Ruprect, at the table with a patch over his eye and a cork on his fork? Or Bill Murray pacing out thousands of baby steps and saying “baby step” for every one? Oz is the best kind of entertainment multi-hyphenate (actor-producer-director) who has been a part of multiple pop culture phenoms: he’s played Yoda, he’s voiced countless characters on The Muppet Show and he’s directed Steve Martin a few times, including Little Shop of Horrors. As a director, Oz is bold; he likes bad people who do bad things, he likes unhealthy relationships, people who can’t cope, weirdness, co-dependence, stupidity, and very physical humor, which are all quite funny.Death at a Funeral is a crazy farce about a proper yet dy ... " [More]
 



Spout's Scavenger Hunt

Community ratings

mavens
Spout mavens
liked it.
most people
Most people
liked it.

Other opinions

lawgrrl07
lawgrrl07
loved it.
dibot
dibot
loved it.
billhr
billhr
loved it.
stephsmith
stephsmith
disliked it.