Open iTunes to preview, buy, and download this movie.
Plot Summary
Directed by Neil LaBute, Death at a Funeral is a hilarious day in the life of an American family that has come together to put a beloved husband and father to rest. As mourners gather at the family home, shocking revelations, festering resentments, ugly threats, blackmail and a misdirected corpse unleash lethal and riotous mayhem.
Credits
Director
Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
41%- Reviews Counted: 132
- Fresh: 54
- Rotten: 78
- Average Rating: 4.9/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Rotten: Think of Death at a Funeral as a comic quickie. As it presses buttons, a few laughs come out, but that's all there is to it.
Fresh: I like this new one mainly because of the cast.
Rotten: You must really love a movie if you decide to remake it just three years after its release. But unless you also intend to improve upon the first attempt, what's the point?
Fresh: Death at a Funeral does what a good comedy is supposed to do: generate laughter.
Customer Reviews
Meh.
If you watch the original British version, it is about 20 times funnier. This movie was funny, but it lacked the comedic timing that the British version has, as well as the acting which was a bit off in this version too. However, James Marsden and Tracy Morgan are completely hilarious from start to finish. They were definitely the stand out performances in the movie.
An Unnecessary and Painful Remake
I was wary to rent this movie, because I had seen and absolutely LOVED the original. The first Death at a Funeral came out only in 2007, and it was about an uptight british family that experiences an unorthodox funeral when a number of unrelated shenanigans turn what should have been a somber event topsy-turvy. The film was subtle, sharp, and witty, truly a comedic classic. And yet, for reasons completely unclear to me, it was remade a short 3 years later by simply changing the race and name of all the characters.
My greatest concern with the remake was that it would be a thinly veiled excuse to create a movie full of racist black jokes. You know the type- the 'jokes' that only black comedians can get away with saying, because if a white person said it, they would be racist. I dreaded two hours of the 'n word' and discussions of how stupid white people are. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was not the case. Very few of these stereotypical jokes were made, and those that were had been expertly woven into the script, maintaining a small sense of the subtle humor that made the original a work of genius.
That being said, the film was still nothing more than an atrocity. The acting was flat and inexpressive, despite the cast being comprised of big-name actors. Chris Rock only seemed to be an angrier, less human version of the original character, who was meant to be meek and find his voice. James Marsden, while certainly more enjoyable when naked than Alan Tudyk, could not be any less believable if he had been holding the script on screen. He lacks the original character's natural comedic nature, and his attempts to look silly left him simply looking pained. Luke Wilson was the only believable one in the entire cast, but he was playing a different character from the original. What should have been a guy that was not successful and suave like Wilson's character, but a hopeless idiot determined to get the girl for no good reason.
In the end, you definitely should not waste your money with this one. I do not know why American directors feel the need to remake great movies from other countries, but it needs to stop. Like with most remakes, the original was by far the superior work. And, though there were one or two entertaining lines in this one, it left much to be desired. It leaves you feeling completely unresolved, lacking the delicate humor that makes the story a classic. I give the original five stars, and this dull mimic only one.
bleh
the original one is much better.
Viewers Also Bought
- Cop Out (2010)
- Kevin Smith
- View In iTunes
- Our Family Wedding
- Rick Famuyiwa
- View In iTunes
- The Bounty Hunter
- Andy Tennant
- View In iTunes
- Killers (2010)
- Robert Luketic
- View In iTunes
- Just Wright
- Sanaa Hamri
- View In iTunes