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Don’t worry I will get into the title of this review a little later but first let’s set the table. Death at a Funeral, Neil LaBute’s (Lakeview Terrace, The Wicker Man) remake of the 2007 British film of the same name, stars an ensemble cast including: Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, Danny Glover, James Marsden, Zoe Saldana, Luke Wilson, and Loretta Devine. As the movie opens we learn that Aaron’s (Rock) father has recently passed and that the funeral will be held today at the family’s home. Aaron’s younger but more successful brother Ryan (Lawrence) is returning to the family’s home for the first time in several years. The day then turns into a rollercoaster of events and leaves the audience wishing that this is one ride that didn’t stand in line for. |
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The crazy series of events center around two themes, drugs and family secrets. Oscar (Marsden) is extremely nervous to meet his fiancée Elaine’s (Saldana) father (Ron Glass). In an effort to relax him Elaine gives him what she thinks is a valium. Of course it only says valium on the bottle and it was actually a hallucinogenic pill. This dose leads to a few funny moments from Oscar, who was the only bright spot in the film. The second main theme is family secrets, a mysterious man (Peter Dinklage) shows up at the funeral and is revealed to be the deceased father’s gay lover. Aaron and Ryan are then forced into a decision: do you try and pay off the man or let the family hear the secret? As they try and conceal this mysterious guest from the rest of the family the audience is subjected to jokes involving poop, sex with 18 year olds, and old men who can not use the bathroom by themselves. I guess that is supposed to be funny. Anyone is going to laugh a few times over the course of this 90 minutes movie, but overall you can get more laughs out of a 20 minute sitcom that this film.
The acting and direction in Death at a Funeral seemed forced from the opening scene. Every scene is merely setup to simply lead you to the next part of the “story”. There is no creativity, no energy, and no point! Chris Rock seems completely disinterested in his role, Tracy Morgan plays a cliché filled character, and Martin Lawrence hasn’t been funny since 1995.
This all brings me to the title of this review, Death of our Society. If this is what is going to pass humor we are all in trouble. When bathroom humor is all that we can expect from a film what does that say about our society. I understand the need to films that are a distraction from everyday struggles, films that give you a reason to laugh and relax for a couple of hours. However, Death at a Funeral is not an escape film and you should expect much more from this talented cast. Saldana and Marsden produce a few laughs which means this film earns 1 out of 5 stars. |
