Death at a Funeral starring Peter Dinklage, Rupert Graves & Matthew Macfadyan, directed by Frank Oz -- A Movie Review

Everyone wants to believe that their deceased loved ones were perfect, devoid of any of the human flaws of which the living are all guilty. This belief lets us feel like that person did something to make the world a better place and gives us comfort in their passing. With that in mind, it shouldn’t be surprising what lengths some people will go to in order to protect the good name of their dearly departed.

The opening scene shows an upscale house in the English countryside where preparations are being made for a celebration of life for the family patron – and everything that can go wrong is in the process of doing so. At the last minute workers from the funeral home arrive -- with the wrong body. Simon (Alan Tudyk) fights with anxiety after a close call on the road. His well-meaning fiancé attempts to calm him by giving him a Valium – but it’s someone else’s prescription bottle, and turns out to be slightly stronger than Valium. The deceased’s best friend is running behind schedule and nearly forgets to pick up a crotchety uncle. Just when things can’t get any worse, a complete stranger (Peter Dinklage) arrives – and he has pictures that leave no doubt about his affair with the deceased, and he wants a generous sum of money to forget about them.

Robert (Rupert Graves) and his brother Daniel (Matthew Macfadyan), the sons of the departed, are willing to do just about anything to ensure their mother does not find out about this unprecedented lover; above all else, they want her to believe that her husband remained faithful to her his entire life. How exactly do you hide someone that sticks out in a crowd like a sore thumb? Maybe hide him, bound and gagged? Perhaps force-feed him some Valium so he remains quiet and cooperative? This, combined with collectively eccentric family members, and you have the recipe for hilarious disaster.

Coming from a family that celebrates death with much merriment and alcoholic beverages, I can certainly appreciate this film’s perfect blend of off-color humor. While I’m always a little leery of comedies in general, a friend with a similar sense of humor to my own insisted that Death at a Funeral (the British version) was a must-see, thus persuading me to give it a chance. Suffice to say, what I found deeply impressed me. My tastes have always run toward good morbid comedies, and this movie includes some morbidly twisted humor nicely blended with a touch of slapstick – but not too much. Frank Oz is a name I’d previously only heard in conjunction with Star Wars or the Muppets, but it turns out he’s also quite a skilled director.

The entire film takes place in the family home on the afternoon of the funeral, with the exception of brief clips detailing the journey of several family members on their way to attend the service, thus setting the stage. While some may consider British humor to be a bit on the dry side, rest assured that that is not the case in this movie – Death at a Funeral addresses and celebrates nearly every kind of family dysfunction imaginable. Perhaps the best way to describe this film is as a hilarious character study that belies the traditional gravity with which funerals are regarded.

The acting was excellent, which I must confess did surprise me as I’d only ever heard of a small portion of the primary actors. Very little detail has been presented on any of the characters, so they do tend to be two-dimensional and viewers know little more than where each fits in the grand scheme. That said, attempting to add more detail would have likely just slowed the pace and destroyed the film.

Overall, this is an excellent morbid comedy along the lines of  Love Comes to the Executioner or Eulogy. It is quite entertaining, though unsuited for younger kids as there is substantial body function humor, some mature content, and a clear view of a man’s naked backside. This is not to be confused with the more recent, Americanized version of Death at a Funeral, which I hear is a poor imitation of this barely-older original.