Theatrical Review of Death at a Funeral

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There is a difference between the low brow menstrual cycle humor of "Superbad" and the poop joke in "Death at a Funeral." That difference is the tone of the film: in a movie like "Superbad," filled with profanities every minute, the gratuitous blood feels like the writers attempt to up the ante, to outdo what they just did. With "Death at a Funeral"-a comedy because it is a comedy of manners in a country obsessed with outward appearances-writer Dean Craig finds the organic humor in one of life´s most somber events.

The film opens-almost predictably-with animation depicting the coffin getting lost on the way to the service. Then we´re introduced to the family members and friends converging on the body. Simon and Martha (Alan Tudyk, Daisy Donovan), a couple planning on getting married. Martha´s brother Troy (Kris Marshall), a budding illegal pharmacist. Howard and Justin (Andy Nyman, Ewen Bremner), charged with transporting cranky invalid Uncle Alfie (Peter Vaughan). And of the course the bereaved family: brothers Daniel and Robert (Matthew MacFadyen, Rupert Graves). Once this entire group and more are assembled, all Daniel wants is to send his father off with some class.

"Death at a Funeral" has vaulted to not just the best comedy of the year in my book, but also to Best Picture above "300" and "Breach." The picture is populated with stock characters we´d expect to see in any funeral movie: the cad; the comic relief; the invalid; the favorite son; the "other" man. Despite this and the fact the gags are a bit obvious-how many times have we seen a body rolling out of a coffin?-we happily go along on the ride.

And it is a ride, make no mistake. The issues which crop up at the funeral compound on one another, coming together to form a snowball which threatens to bury everyone involved. For instance, take Peter Dinklage as the small person Peter, whom no one has ever heard of nor seen before. He insists on talking with Daniel about his father. When they eventually do meet, a revelation comes to light which will ultimately consume four different characters and provide the grand finale for the picture.

As absurd as parts of the film get (passing around a container of LSD, for instance), it somehow makes complete sense because there is just enough reality thrown in to ground the story. The main conflict (the sibling rivalry between Daniel and Robert) makes their characters the most well rounded out of the entire cast. There are actual people-sketchy as they may be-behind the characters. Daniel and Robert are the most developed but, admittedly, they´re not going to win any depth awards. Because their story arc is defined very early in the film, this is the one we identify with the most. And it´s the one that ends the film with a predictable, though necessary, resolution.

The relationship between Daniel and his wife strains credibility more than a little bit considering all we really know about their relationship is its built on secrets and deception. Robert reneges on his offer to foot half the funeral bill, throwing Daniel´s plans for a flat into jeopardy. Why he doesn´t share this information with his wife is never made clear. Sure, her heart is set on it and she would inevitably be let down, but one source of conflict would have been eliminated from the film.

Oh well. The rest of the characters and relationships are similarly drawn. Not much depth, but they all fulfill their functions just as they should. Uncle Alfie has a part in the inevitable poop joke-which is simultaneously the grossest and most hilarious in the entire movie-and is cranky for no good reason except he´s old. Odd looking Justin is in love with Martha, professing that love several times while Simon trapezes naked on the roof. We never do figure out why or what their history is. "Death at a Funeral" gives us just enough information to make the narrative flow yet not enough to form complete picture of these characters as people.

Its actually surprising that the more one looks at the movie closely, the more reasons there are to discount "Death at a Funeral." But the most important thing aspects of any film-the execution and the acting-can´t be discounted. Each has their own sense of comic timing and works off of their colleagues in effortless, wonderful ways. Even the most low brow of jokes (either the poop or the final outcome to the blackmail storyline) never translates into characters being malicious or evil. They simply exist in this universe.

That´s where the acting comes into play. Tudyk, formerly of "Firefly" and it´s big screen spinoff "Serenity," easily steals the show. It shouldn´t be much of a shock, when you look at the story he´s given. When you´re high on LSD as an actor, just about anything will go. And anything does go, for him. Including running around naked. He´s a glorious comic actor that was hinted at in his previous work. There´s wide eyed loopiness combined with sweet sentimentality evident in every scene he´s in.

Everyone else performs with the gusto and enthusiasm we´d expect from the story. They´re helped by the closed off nature of the story. With very few exceptions, the 90-minute film takes place completely inside a country house, making the characters interact with one another instead of running away from their problems or introducing new characters to divert attention from the story. That house is a fully realized location, with all manner of rooms and hallways, nooks and crannies where portions of the film take place.

"Death at a Funeral" is most definitely a black comedy, finding the humor in a grim situation. There are problems with the film, but the positive aspects most definitely outweigh any lack of character development. The acting is uniformly strong, complimenting the witty and hilarious script. It´s easily more accessible than any other comedy released this year, as well as more sophisticated. It rates a wholly recommended 8 out of 10. It´s that good.

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