Starring Matthew Macfadyen, Keeley Hawes, Alan Tudyk, Peter Dinklage, Ewen
Written By: Dean Craig
Directed By: Frank Oz
Studio: MGM/UA
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Death at a Funeral, directed by Frank Oz, is a British comedy that features plenty of laughs in the last place you would think there would be, a funeral. Daniel and his wife Jane host Daniel’s father’s funeral at their home in England and the entire family attends, with plenty of unexpected turns and hilarious results. Starring Matthew Macfadyen and Alan Tudyk, this comedy romp was a pleasant surprise and hysterically funny!

Taking place in the English countryside, Daniel and his wife Jane are just a typical English couple that are having a tough time of it. Daniel (Macfadyen) is trying to come to grips with the loss of his father, and the return of his estranged family, including his hot shot brother Robert (Rubert Graves.) Losing a family member is hard enough, but when the family is not on the best of terms it puts a strain on the entire day. To make matters worse, Daniel’s cousin Martha and her fianc Simon show up, along with Martha’s brother Troy, a pharmacology student and create an interesting side show. Troy accidentally leaves some hallucinogenic pills out on his table and Simon, unbeknownst to him thinking they are Valium, takes them. Simon shows up to the funeral high as a kite and whacked out of his mind, leaving everyone to think, who the hell is this guy and why is he marrying Martha? That is just one of the many outrageous things happening at this funeral. A mysterious uninvited guest shows up named Peter (Dinklage), who seems to know the deceased. Turns out, he might have known him “Most” of all and now wants a piece of the estate. If that’s not the only thing, someone turns up dead at the funeral and it’s not the father!

I saw the film originally in theaters at one of the classic vintage theaters in America, the Lafayette Theater and absolutely loved this film. I was cracking up the entire time and thought the cast was brilliant, especially Alan Tudyk. The film definitely feels like a British film, though some American elements are throughout the film with actors Alan
Tudyk, Peter Dinklage, and Director Frank Oz (who was born in the UK though.) The cast really worked well together and I thought the story was fun, and wasn’t too long. Clocking at 91 minutes the film was just right with the length of the movie. The extras for the DVD set aren’t that extensive but you get to enjoy some more comedy antics with a gag reel. Also available are two separate audio commentaries from Yoda himself, Frank Oz and also a commentary from writer Dean Craig, Alan Tudyk, and Andy Nyman. I recommend this film, it’s hysterical!

Features:
-Audio Commentary By Director Frank Oz
-Audio Commentary By Screenwriter Dean Craig and Actors Alan Tudyk and Andy
Nyman
-Gag Reel

Audio:
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1
SPANISH: Dolby Digital Surround

Video:
Widescreen 1.85:1 Color
Standard 1.33:1 Color

Subtitles:
English, Spanish

Favorite Scenes: Pill Popping, The lover reveals himself, Simon is unleashed on the funeral, Someone dies
Rating: R
Running Time: 91 minutes
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating: