A funeral can be one of the most emotionally depressing times in anyone’s life; unless of course you’re at funeral directed by Frank Oz. “Death at a Funeral” (2007) is the comedy featuring wonderful actors such as: Mathew Macfadyen, Alan Tudyk and Keeley Hawes. It follows the story of couple Daniel (Macfadyen) and Jane (Hawes) hosting a funeral for Daniel’s father in their own home. But things start to go bad quickly in a hilarious way as friends and relatives with problems of their own start to show up for the service.
Before the service begins a rather short man (Peter Dinklage) catches Daniels attention with something he “needs to talk about.” Soon after we learn that Daniel’s happily married father was gay with this man (Dinklage) and is now bribing the Daniel for 15,000 pounds or he tells everyone at the funeral (with proof), the truth about their relationship. Multiple other factors begin to come into play as they try to hide their dead father’s secret without losing 15,000 pounds, all the while trying to hold a respectable service for their beloved father.
The way this film was put together was simply remarkable. It’s the kind of movie you become involved in and forget you are actually sitting in front of a screen watching. Sometimes movies with multiple stories happening at once can become confusing and lose their entertainment value because you’re too busy trying to follow the plot. But Frank Oz has mastered this technique. In the first 20 minutes of the film we learn about at least 10 different characters without confusion or the need for anything to be spelled out. Because these opening scenes were placed one after the other with great consideration, the transition from scene to scene flows like running water.
Another factor that made this movie fall-off-your-chair hilarious was the talent that enriched the cast. Peter Dinklage and Alan Tudyk give some of the best performances of their careers, along with the rest of the cast that was picked with perfection. You cannot help but fall in love with these characters because of their individualistic charm. For me, it was Andy Nyman’s performance as the loveable, yet annoying as hell Howard that kept me rolling. Each cast member adds the perfect amount humor to the film, whether it’s the slap-stick funny guy or the “love to hate him” guy, there isn’t a single actor/actress that doesn’t leave you wanting more.
Overall, I think it’s the perfect comedy. Everyone can relate to a crazy family making things complicated. The construction of the film along with the amazing cast makes this film delicious to the senses. Frank Oz does an awesome job at turning a gloomy event into a hilarious adventure that keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time.
This movie is the perfect comedy. I agree that the story line is perfection, but the cast of characters is responsible for putting together a truly remarkable show. I could not stop laughing throughout the entire film!