My neighbor past the apartment building’s elevator wondered where all the madcap laughter was coming from. It took her a while to realize it was coming from me! She says she’s never heard me laugh so hysterically before and I truly don’t remember anytime lately having such a great time with a movie. 2007’s Death at a Funeral, directed by Frank Oz and written by Dean Craig, might not sound too promising, but it immediately becomes apparent that it’s a very close relative to the wonderfully riotous British farces of the 1960s with Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers I’ve so enjoyed. If that doesn’t ring a bell for you, consider it a clever tribute to the late Robert Altman and his movie Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Leaving behind political correctness, this farce takes place one afternoon at a funeral in pastoral England of a beloved father with a dysfunctional family and their neurotic friends. They’re at the beautiful family home as the hearse arives, the undertakers bring in the coffin and the straight-playing son Daniel must look into it.

Daniel: [glances into the coffin just presented to him] Who is this?
Undertaker: Pardon me?
Daniel: This is not my father.

The farce has begun! Soon we meet a drug-dealing nephew who takes along hallucinogenic drugs in a Valium bottle to the funeral because he would drop them off to his client afterwards, but the disguised bottle is, as soon as it’s out of his sight, swiftly used by his sister for her nervous boyfriend and this poor guy goes completely out of his mind! What a fantastic comedian! I thought he reminded me of someone I couldn’t place and hours after the movie I knew who: a drunken young sailor in 1964’s An Americanization of Emily, but Alan Tudyk in Oz’s film is probably not related to Steve Franken.

There’s also a little person who shows up, played by Peter Dinklage who has never been so hilarious or had a sillier role. He’s the recent gay lover of the deceased with a few damning photos of them in party costume and, presumably, in bed together. Now he feels he’s entitled to 15,000 pounds because he wasn’t left anything in the will and the ever-suffering responsible son refuses to pay up (after his spoiled rich brother refuses) when the little guy, having read part of the novel the good son has written, observes that it must be hard to live in his famous novelist brother’s shadow. Then praises the bad son’s last book!

So we’ve got a drugged-out guy going naked and threatening suicide. A blackmailing midget with pictures that must be stopped. Two brothers who really hate each other. A neurotic guy left in charge of angry Uncle Alfie in his wheelchair and who badly needs the bathroom on the first floor where the angry midget is tied up…

Oh, and a drug dealer who loses his fake bottle of Valium in the garden!

But Death at a Funeral remembers that it’s at a funeral and the good son finally surprises everyone with a heartfelt eulogy after a couple of sidesplitting delays. I’m not giving anything else away, but ’death’ in the title should not be taken seriously, although the brothers and their accomplices do. It all comes together with dry wit, silly charm and dark British humor that looks at life and death face-on without apology.

I’m not sure if I could’ve enjoyed the farce more if I were British. I really don’t think my heart, as strong as it is, could have withstood harder laughter!

I don’t recognize the names in this R-rated film (except Dinklage, The Station Agent) only because I usually watch British comedies from the 1960s, but Brits will recognize Jane Asher, the regal wife of the deceased who used to date Paul McCartney before Linda appeared. There’s also Matthew McFadyen, Rupert Graves, Andy Nyman, Keeley Hawes, Daisy Donavan, Peter Vaughan and more besides Tudyk and Dinklage (the biggest stars in my opinion). I think they were all believable and only over the top when appropriate.

Death at a Funeral is a quick-paced ninety minutes, filmed in a mere seven weeks, that I’m very glad somebody recommended to me so now I can happily recommend it to anyone who loves adult, British humor. Enjoy!

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age