Plot
A funeral ceremony turns into a debacle of exposed family secrets and misplaced bodies.
Release Year: 2010
Rating: 5.4/10 (17,095 voted)
Critic's Score: 51/100
Director:
Neil LaBute
Stars: Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Keith David
Storyline Aaron's father's funeral is today at the family home, and everything goes wrong: the funeral home delivers the wrong body; a cousin gives her fiancé a Valium from her brother's apartment, not knowing her brother is dealing drugs - it's LSD and the fiancé arrives at the funeral wildly stoned; Aaron's younger brother, Ryan, a successful writer, flies in from New York broke but arrogant; one uncle is angry over his daughter's choice of boyfriends, and the other is cranky and coarse. Add an ovulating wife, a jealous ex-boyfriend, and a short stranger who wants a word with Aaron - what could he want? Would another death solve Aaron's problems? And what about the eulogy?
Cast: Keith David
-
Reverend Davis
Loretta Devine
-
Cynthia
Peter Dinklage
-
Frank
Ron Glass
-
Duncan
Danny Glover
-
Uncle Russell
Regina Hall
-
Michelle
Kevin Hart
-
Brian
Martin Lawrence
-
Ryan
James Marsden
-
Oscar
Tracy Morgan
-
Norman
Chris Rock
-
Aaron
Zoe Saldana
-
Elaine
(as Zoë Saldaña)
Columbus Short
-
Jeff
Luke Wilson
-
Derek
Regine Nehy
-
Martina
Taglines:
On April 16th, no one will rest in peace.
Filming Locations: 917 Buena Vista Street, South Pasadena, California, USA
Box Office Details
Budget: $20,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: $16,217,540
(USA)
(18 April 2010)
(2459 Screens)
Gross: $42,739,347
(USA)
(4 July 2010)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
One of the oft-mentioned photographs involving Edward and Frank features them dressed as Deena and Effie attending the premiere for
Dreamgirls. Loretta Devine, who portrays Edward's widow Cynthia in this film, originated the role of Lorrell in the original 1981 Broadway production of "Dreamgirls" and made a cameo in its 2006 film adaptation. Danny Glover, who plays Uncle Russell, co-starred in the film version as Marty Madison.
Goofs:
Incorrectly regarded as goofs:
Jeff says he's a pharmacology student. His father Duncan asks him how things are going at Pepperdine. Per their own website, Pepperdine has no pharmacology program. He is using term "pharmacology student" as a euphemism for "drug dealer."
Quotes: Cynthia:
[to her childless daughter in law]
You can't understand death until you've given life.
User Review
See the original
Rating: 4/10
The original British version is much better. It had more subtle humor
and was all the more better for it. This follows typical American
humor, and decides if your not slapped in the face with it, it can't
possibly be funny. While I find Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence funny
sometimes, they are much better when they aren't shouting at the top of
their voice. Just not a huge fan of the loud African-American talk
(yelling mostly). It just gets on the nerves and doesn't quite pull off
being funny.
If the loud slapstick humor is your thing, then this version is for
you. But if you prefer a bit more intelligent humor, go see the
original version.
Plot
Chaos ensues when a man tries to expose a dark secret regarding a recently deceased patriarch of a dysfunctional British family.
Release Year: 2007
Rating: 7.3/10 (45,437 voted)
Critic's Score: 67/100
Director:
Frank Oz
Stars: Matthew Macfadyen, Peter Dinklage, Ewen Bremner
Storyline Daniel is a decent young man, married to Jane, still living at his father's home. When his father dies, it is up to him to organize his funeral. On this painful morning, the suitable grave expression on his face, Daniel is ready to welcome his father's friends and relatives. But preserving the dignity inherent in such circumstances will be a hard task. Particularly with an undertaker who botches his work, the return from the USA of his famous but selfish brother, his cousin's fiancé who has accidentally ingested drugs, the presence a moron who takes advantage of the sad event to win back the heart (or rather the body) of a woman who is about to marry another, of a handicapped old uncle who is also the most unbearable pain in the neck. To cap it all, Daniel notices the presence among the mourners of a mysterious dwarf nobody else seems to know...
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
Taglines:
Last rites... and wrongs.
Release Date: 11 July 2007
Filming Locations: Chenies Manor House, Chenies, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
Box Office Details
Budget: $9,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: €15,223
(Netherlands)
(22 July 2007)
(10 Screens)
Gross: $8,579,684
(USA)
(30 December 2007)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
Stars Alan Tudyk and Peter Dinklage were the only American actors in the film.
Goofs:
Continuity:
When Simon gets out of the bathroom window he is completely naked, but moments later he appears in the same position leaning over to spit and you can see the edge of his underwear at the bottom right of the screen.
Quotes:
[first lines]
Daniel:
[giving instructions to the pallbearers]
Just, uh, straight through there and to the left, please.
User Review
Who knew a funeral could be so funny?
Rating: 10/10
A midget, hallucinogenic drugs, homosexuality, sibling rivalry, nudity,
and a funeral come together in riotous chaotic harmony in Death at a
Funeral. The films story unfolds in the span of an afternoon and
despite the short duration of plot Frank Oz, directory, endears us to
the characters with witty and realistic dialog. What better setting
than a funeral to highlight the humor and irony of life? The
characters' mourning is completely relatable because it isn't
overwrought or melodramatic and is thus all the more genuine.
Family turmoil overshadows the funeral and propels the characters into
awkward but hilarious situations. The film does not forget it takes
place during a funeral and by the end a heartfelt eulogy is delivered
in spite of the lunacy surrounding it.
The humor is just dry enough to complement the somewhat dark comedy but
not so dry that it alienates the audience.
I haven't laughed this much at a film in a very long time...especially
a film about a funeral.
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