Death at a Funeral

The wacky world of mourning is laid to rest in Frank Oz’s Death at a Funeral, a black comedy that becomes a solemn occasion. When a British family gathers at the memorial service for their patriarch, a series of non-stop farcical moments follow that fall flat and feel strained. Things begin humorously enough when the wrong coffin is delivered to the country house of the deceased’s son Daniel (Matthew MacFayden), a relatively calm man who lives in the shadow of his novelist brother, Robert (Rupert Graves). But pacing problems and strained jokes about bowel movements, hypochondria and blackmail become grave errors.
One unoriginal plot point about a mislabeled pill bottle comes to life when Simon (Alan Tudyk), nervous about making a good impression on his fiancée’s family, swallows hallucinogens instead of Valium. Appearing nude on the rooftop limply shows his rebirth and regaining confidence. Tudyk’s performance is way over the top but his pratfalls and silly expressions breathe life amid ridiculously unmoving elements of surprise. As an unexpected mysterious guest, Peter Dinklage elicits an emotional response, as he is simultaneously a victim and an attempted extortionist.
But the real nail in the coffin is the element of the gay surprise, when the characters are horrified to discover that someone has a secret life. We can’t know everything about a person but this supposed scandal doesn’t need to paralyze straight people. You’d think by now people would become accustomed to individuality. Is it funny when one presumes that everyone behaves the same in his or her bedroom only to find out that that they don’t? You’re killing me. My Score: 6 out of 10.