DEATH AT A FUNERAL

(RoRo, HoHo, LLL, V, SS, N, DDD, M) Strong Romantic worldview in which man is good as long as he tries, with strong homosexual worldview elements; 61 obscenities and profanities, including a priest taking Jesus Christ’s name in vain, plus man helps elderly uncle go to bathroom and gets feces on his hand and face; man tells graphic story of neck stabbing, miscellaneous harmless scuffles with no graphic content; strong references to a homosexual couple, two clothed men lie in a sexual position in a coffin, mention of an unmarried couple having a baby; upper male nudity, excessive rear male nudity; no alcohol use; one main character is a drug dealer, three characters unknowingly ingest illegal drugs and show side effects throughout the film; and, men try to hide a dead body in a coffin to avoid responsibility and priest on time constraints tries to rush through a funeral.

DEATH AT A FUNERAL is a British comedy for adults about a family that tries to have a respectable funeral for Daniel’s recently passed father, but everything that can go wrong does and the solemn occasion quickly goes spiraling out of control. The movie has a predominantly Non-Christian worldview, with plenty of foul language, many homosexual references, and a major sub-plot about a man accidentally taking an illegal hallucinogenic drug use.

DEATH AT A FUNERAL, a British movie, is a well-made, witty comedy for adults. For a film that has the words “death” and “funeral” in the title, you might expect to see a dreary drama that seeks to depress, but instead, American Director Frank Oz delivers a hilariously good time at the movies. Probably more widely known for his puppeteer and voice work for such characters as the Muppets, Miss Piggy, and Yoda, Oz has made a distinguished career as a filmmaker. Even from the get-go, DEATH AT A FUNERAL delivers a number of great laughs that expertly make light of a usually tragic situation.

DEATH AT A FUNERAL has an ensemble cast of characters, which open the doors to multiple disastrous but hilarious situations that take place during the funeral. The movie opens as a hearse arrives at a funeral home to deliver the body of Daniel’s (Matthew Macfadyen) father.

The first major plot involves a mysterious attendee named Peter, who remains unknown to all the family members. Peter approaches Daniel and insists that he needs to speak with him. When they finally find time to talk in private, Peter reveals that he and Daniel’s father were homosexual lovers. He threatens to expose Daniel’s father’s secret to everyone if Daniel does not pay him off.

The second major plot involves Daniel’s cousin, Martha (Daisy Donovan), and her fiancé, Simon (Alan Tudyk), who were just recently engaged. Simon needs to make a good first impression for his future father-in-law while attending the funeral, but, on the way to the funeral, he accidentally swallows an illegal hallucinogenic drug that he believes is a mere painkiller. By the time he and Martha arrive, Simon is extremely high and begins acting out of control, causing a large mess of things at the party.

Both plots are expertly intertwined to create a hilarious, albeit somewhat offensive, situational comedy. Clocking in at 90 minutes, the movie is well-paced and moves quickly. With laugh after laugh, problem after problem, there is almost no “lag time.” The story continues to build suspense until its very satisfying ending.

Obviously, DEATH AT A FUNERAL deals with a lot of homosexual situations (though nothing graphic) and accidental drug use, so mature audiences should be aware of objectionable content before viewing this movie. This is most certainly not a film for children or teenagers. However, the movie does not take itself seriously and does not come off as a propaganda piece; it merely strives to entertain through sheer absurdist humor. In this sense, it succeeds.

DEATH AT A FUNERAL is a witty British comedy for adults. For a film that has the words “death” and “funeral” in the title, you might expect a dreary drama that seeks to depress, but instead, American Director Frank Oz delivers a hilariously good time. The movie opens as a hearse arrives at a funeral home to deliver the body of Daniel’s father. During the funeral, a mysterious stranger blackmails Daniel after claiming to be his father’s homosexual lover. Also, Simon, the fiancé of Daniel’s cousin, Martha, fails to make a good impression because he has accidentally taken an illegal hallucinogenic drug.

From the start, DEATH AT A FUNERAL delivers a number of great laughs that expertly make light of what is usually a tragic situation. But, the movie has a predominantly Non-Christian worldview with many obscenities and profanities. Also, it deals with many homosexual situations (though nothing graphic) and drug use. So, audiences should be aware of this objectionable content before viewing this movie. This is definitely not a film for children, even though the movie does not take itself seriously and mostly strives to entertain through sheer absurdist humor.