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FILM DETAILS

Certificate 15

Cast Peter Dinklage Ewan Bremner Matthew Macfadyen Alan Tudyk Daisy Donovan.

Directors Frank Oz.

Screenwriters Dean Craig.

Running Time 90 minutes

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Death At A Funeral
Putting the 'fun' in funeral

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Plot
While an eccentric British family mourns over their father's death, a mystery man threatens to reveal secrets about their father unless he is compensated.

Review

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Frank Oz’s first film since The Stepford Wives sees a return to comedy form an ensemble farce in the best British tradition.

Macfadyen’s Justin is a humourless stick-in-the-mud who hosts a gathering to mourn his father. Guest Ewen Bremner is obsessed with Daisy Donovan, whose husband (Tudyk) has ingested a powerful hallucinogen. And that’s just the set-up.

Impeccable comic timing ensures the gags flow fast, while some delightfully ludicrous predicaments keep things fresh. A sole potty joke is unnecessarily crass, but for the most part this is joyfully funny.

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Average user rating for Death At A Funeral

Quite funny overall.

I saw this film recently and I have to say I found it hilarious. Mathew Macfadyen plays the straight-laced character rather well. Trying to keep it all together whilst things and people around him slowly unravel. I thought Alan Tudyk did exceptionally well and I too was impressed with his British accent. Probably the first American actor I've seen in a long while who can do a convincing British accent. I thought the Uncle Alfie character was funny but he was given dialogue which seemed ana... More

Posted by Emyr Thy King at 13:28, 19 May 2011 | Report This Post

I saw this and then saw the US Remake, which we both completely different. This version left me laughing right from the start, and i really enjoyed watching the funeral descend into chaos. There was some great characterisation from Alam Tudyk, who was really good as the drug-fuelled nervous boyfriend. Thiswas a fun british comedy that was a little weak in the sense that the main joke about the"Valium" was repeated so many times, but definitely worth four stars. ... More

Posted by TheMovieAddict101 at 11:40, 14 August 2010 | Report This Post

RE: RE:

L: Timon I rented this over the weekend, so I could watch it before the US remake comes out... and I thoguht it was hilarious.... namely Alan Tudyk who stole the show. Plus I never knew he could do such a good British accent. nestly don't get those who didn't find it funny, you miserable bastards!eeded more Peter Dinklage though! Totally agree. I'm not usually a fan of farce but thought this was really good fun. I giggled a lot at "It's touch and go. Touch and go" ... More

Posted by Lazy wolf eyes at 13:38, 10 May 2010 | Report This Post

RE:

I rented this over the weekend, so I could watch it before the US remake comes out... and I thoguht it was hilarious.... namely Alan Tudyk who stole the show. Plus I never knew he could do such a good British accent. I honestly don't get those who didn't find it funny, you miserable bastards! Needed more Peter Dinklage though! ... More

Posted by Timon at 11:36, 10 May 2010 | Report This Post

Much cringing, and a fairly homophobic to be honset. My toes were curling into the carpet within ten minutes. If you watch it with the right crowd it's funny, but in a middling sort of way. The mediocre three stars is justified if you can forgive what might be an amusingly contrived anti-gay message, but is more likely just an immature running gag. ... More

Posted by LouisBond at 10:35, 23 February 2010 | Report This Post

Pretty good

I went to see this at the cinema last year and ended up really enjoying it. I would agree that the toilte joke was unnessecary though. Brought down the tone of the humour. ... More

Posted by Angusto at 22:16, 28 February 2008 | Report This Post

RE: quite funny

One of the funniest films of the year, probably second only to Two Days in Paris. Finally good to see a comedy that didn't rely on stoner slacker stereotypes that were unfunny and outdated twenty years ago.   4/5 ... More

Posted by Lightfoot at 16:41, 08 January 2008 | Report This Post

RE: quite funny

Initially this film felt like a sub-Four Weddings jaunt - lots of eccentric english characters spouting unfunny dialogue on their way to/ at a funeral with an irritatingly upbeat soundtrack telling us what jolly good fun it's all going to be - almost painfully bad.   But once the story kicks off properly I have to say I did find it hilarious at times even though it was a little predictable. Not all of the performances worked, Alan Tudyk was completely wasted, the guy who pla... More

Posted by Fluke Skywalker at 15:50, 08 January 2008 | Report This Post

quite funny

This black farce is pretty funny and keeps the same tone throughout even though the jokes can be a little predictable. Director Frank Oz doesn't shun the gross-out humour when it's called for, but the real comedy comes from the characters' reactions to the goings-on, and everyone involved turns in a decent performance, having fun cooking up a storm. It's lowbrow humour with a highbrow delivery. ... More

Posted by moviemaniac2 at 16:27, 21 November 2007 | Report This Post

RE:

Considering I hate british comedies with a passion, I really liked this. It was a simple idea set in a great location. No one over acted, and the cast seemed to gel well together. 3.5/5 ... More

Posted by Jose Chungs Doomsday at 13:31, 11 November 2007 | Report This Post

A funny albeit inconsequential diversion. ... More

Posted by tombetom at 01:26, 11 November 2007 | Report This Post

RE: Terrible

I felt like I'd just died watching this and was having some sort of out of body experience as I watched other people laughing hysterically, dare I say "corpsing". It just seemed so dated and incredibly contrived, yes it is a farce but not in the sense it they would wish it was applied. It seems to have garnered some really good reviews but it left me cold. ... More

Posted by Charliebois at 22:09, 09 November 2007 | Report This Post

RE: Terrible

L: Davechoc Unlike the other few reviewers so far I can't have even a middling reaction to this film, for it was one of the worst I've seen this year. Lots of cringeworthy gurning, breathless slapstick and idiotically contrived plot developments desperately wanting to capture the humour of the classic British farce but failing miserably. The 'quirky' soundtrack from the outset is warning enough of the 'wacky' antics to follow and Matthew MacFadyen's speech at the end is an embarr... More

Posted by Wilbert at 13:49, 09 November 2007 | Report This Post

Terrible

Unlike the other few reviewers so far I can't have even a middling reaction to this film, for it was one of the worst I've seen this year. Lots of cringeworthy gurning, breathless slapstick and idiotically contrived plot developments desperately wanting to capture the humour of the classic British farce but failing miserably. The 'quirky' soundtrack from the outset is warning enough of the 'wacky' antics to follow and Matthew MacFadyen's speech at the end is an embarrassing attempt to inject... More

Posted by Davechoc at 21:38, 06 November 2007 | Report This Post

Worth a look

If you analyse this too much it's a lot worse than it is. Jokes that involve mislabled drugs, crass old people and, as mentioned in the review, a potty joke, so not exactly bursting with originality. That said the cast is good (Ewan Bremners incredibly annoying character aside), there are a few laughs and the audience I was with laughed a lot more than me. ... More

Posted by stevier69 at 11:20, 03 November 2007 | Report This Post

Death At A Funeral

"#ff0000"]h At A Funeralign] Went this morning, and it was a toss up between this or The Heartbreak Kid due to time restrictions. I figured this would have fewer curious teenagers (both films were near empty, as it happens). I've liked the Frank Oz films I've seen in the past, in particular Bowfinger and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. t A Funeralat relaxed humour that otten Scoundrelsut within an English family gathering setting. The music is what identifies it within the style of film, although t... More

Posted by homersimpson_esq at 15:27, 02 November 2007 | Report This Post

Meh

It's alright, nothing brilliant or spectacular, it drags out in places and is never belly laugh funny, just chuckles here and there but for a druggie comedy was better than the run of the mill dross you usually get. Special mention should go to Alan Tudyk who needs to be in more films with fleshier roles than the support roles he gets at the moment. ... More

Posted by strangelad at 11:43, 31 October 2007 | Report This Post

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