Death at a Funeral (2007)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Frank Oz

Writer (WGA):

Dean Craig (written by)

Release Date:

11 July 2007 (Belgium)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

From director Frank Oz comes the story of a family that puts the F U in funeral.

Plot:

Chaos ensues when a man tries to expose a dark secret regarding a recently deceased patriarch of a dysfunctional British family.

Plot Keywords:

Funeral | Uncle | Secret | Faecal | Bound And Gagged

Awards:

2 wins

US TV Schedule:

Wed. Nov. 11	8:10 AM	SHOW
Sun. Nov. 15	9:00 AM	SHOW
Fri. Nov. 20	9:00 AM	SHOW

Cast

Matthew Macfadyen	...	Daniel (as Matthew MacFadyen)
Keeley Hawes	...	Jane
Andy Nyman	...	Howard
Ewen Bremner	...	Justin
Daisy Donovan	...	Martha
Alan Tudyk	...	Simon
Jane Asher	...	Sandra
Kris Marshall	...	Troy
Rupert Graves	...	Robert
Peter Vaughan	...	Uncle Alfie
Thomas Wheatley	...	The Reverend
Peter Egan	...	Victor
Peter Dinklage	...	Peter
Brendan O'Hea	...	Undertaker
Jeremy Booth	...	Mourner

Also Known As:

Sterben für Anfänger (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and drug content.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA | Germany | UK | Netherlands

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Germany:6 | Netherlands:6 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-7 | Singapore:NC-16 (cut) | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:Btl | USA:R (certificate # 43149) | France:U | Taiwan:R-12 | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | New Zealand:M | Iceland:7 | Japan:G | Australia:PG (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK

Company:

Sidney Kimmel Entertainment

Trivia:

According to Alan Tudyk the inspiration for his 'stoned' performance came from a memory from his teenage years when he once saw an intoxicated teen perched naked on top of a picnic table. He mimicked the same weird pose during his nude scene on the roof.

Goofs:

Continuity: Troy drops the bottle of 'Valium' on the kitchen table, label face up, to answer the door. His sister Martha walks by and the bottle is laying label face down.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Daniel: [giving instructions to the pallbearers] Just, uh, straight through there and to the left, please.

Movie Connections:

References Brazil (1985)

Soundtrack:

Love our Time Today

Nearly Died Laughing

I went to this screening expecting it to be a serious movie -- you don't expect to be laughing at a movie with both "Death" and "Funeral" in the title -- but this film was hilarious! It wasn't just me -- the theater was full of people screaming with laughter and clapping at various moments.

Alan Tudyk is hilarious every moment he is on screen. Finally this underrated actor has gotten a good-sized part where he can show off his comedy skills.

Most of the actors are British and I did not recognize them, but they were excellent.

One I recognized was Jane Asher (she was Paul McCartney's girlfriend in the 60s -- he shoulda married her -- she's still alive and she's not a gold-digger). She plays the very composed widow here. (Oddly she has fewer creases on her face than her middle-aged sons.)

This film reminded me a bit of "Four Weddings and a Funeral", but even more of those British madcap black comedies of the 60s with Alec Guinness or Peter Sellers.