| Product: |
Death At The Funeral (DVD) |
| Date: |
26.02.08 (51 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: Alan Tudyk is terrific, some truly funny scenes & characters
Disadvantages: Not really funny enough, too much going on possibly
Death At A Funeral is a decidedly British farce focusing on, surprisingly, a funeral. It is the morning of the funeral and Daniel (Matthew Macfadyn) is awaiting the arrival of his fathers coffin and the mourners at his home, ready for the service and eulogy.
Expected guests include his arrogant brother Robert (Rupert Graves), a successful author, his cousin Martha (Daisy Donovan) and her fiancée Simon (Alan Tudyk - Serenity, Dodgeball). Martha intends to tell her father (Peter Egan) that she is going to marry Simon, something she knows will turn her father red with anger. Unfortunately for her Simon has taken a very powerful hallucinogenic drug instead of some valium, a drug created by her brother Troy, played by Kris Marshall from Love Actually.
Complications are further enhanced by the arrival of a mysterious guest (Peter Dinklage - Threshold, Station Agent) who brings with him some very unexpected news.
Ever since Four Weddings the English film making community has tried to replicate its worldwide success. Occasionally they have a minor hit (Noting Hill & Bridget Jones for example) but generally their attempts fail miserably, and are lucky to make their costs back let alone become a smash hit. DAAF is a passable attempt, it isn't hilariously funny but it does have a couple of laugh out loud scenes, which is two more than most Brit Coms!
Its one big problem though is that, in general, we have seen it all before. The accidental taking of drugs, the dysfunctional family, the uptight parent etc is all too familiar. So we end up with a film that just reminds you of others and ends up just being good instead of great.
Having said that there is a lot of good points that make it well worth watching. It has a reasonably short running time (90 minutes) which means that the familiarity doesn't hang round long enough to breed contempt, as the old saying goes. It has enough going on in it that, while never being good enough to become a smash hit, does keep you amused throughout pretty much all of it.
Another big downside to it, well from a British point of view, is that with all the young British stars in it it is the Americans Alan Tudyk & Peter Dinklage and an aging Peter Vaughn, as the cantankerous Uncle Alfie, who steal the show.
Tudyk has the hard job of being funny while pretending to be high on a hallucinogenic drug. This he does superbly, having me laughing at his offbeat conversations and strange faces. His eyes are incredibly expressive and convey far more than any lines could ever do.
Dinklage is Peter, the man who arrives with some unusual information. His diminutive stature belies his acting ability and his performance is actually better than the script actually should allow him to be. For these two alone I would recommend watching DAAF!
None of the British stars let the home side down but the two Americans stand out above them all. Marshall is good but is pretty much playing the same role he always does, Macfadyen, Donovan et al are just overshadowed by the other two, and Vaughan of course.
DAAF looks as good as every top quality Brit ensemble comedy, bright and colourful, is as well made as you would expect but doesn't quite manage to make it a five star rated film. It isn't quite in the league of the great British and American comedies out there but is not that far off. Further viewings may just manage to lift it to that level but I am not convinced of that. Yes it is fun and a good laugh but not enough to be more than a just about above average movie.
Summary: A comedy that is fab when it hits the mark, so so when it doesnt
|
|
