Frank Oz’s “Death at a Funeral” does not generate instant laughs. It takes its time to build up on the setting and in the last quarter of a movie they strike well. Still I would not rank as a great comic relief or something to be owned upon DVD to watch it again and again. And that is exactly these kind of movies should be generated as. When things are serious around Sunday evening, the comedy movie is the one which sets up any one getting briskly ready for Monday blues. In that cadre, this may not be there but may be on Sunday morning to expect the evening movie.
The setting is the funeral of Daniel’s (Matthew MacFayden) father. The title shows map view of a coffin marked by cross driving through its way on a “google map” kind of graphic. It drove following its path and finally making a stop. I was not able to concentrate on the credits but was eagerly seeing whether there will be something funny in that animation. Nothing happened. The scene immediately after that makes it funny due to the wait we took for the animation to show something funny but it is a base for the next scene, not the content but the curiosity it built. Off to good start, I was expecting riot of smirks and darkish comedy following instantly but it did not. And it did not bore either. Just it builds up the characters as a drama movie would do and then present the final sequences which are really good. Is it worth that wait? I would say yes. Not a positive solid yes, but ok kind of yes.
Daniel is the better in the lot of people who seem to care more about themselves than the sad situation. Daniel’s elder brother Robert (Rupert Graves) complaining about the first class flight journey and makes faces about the expense on the funeral, Daniel’s wife Jane (Keeley Hawes) finding hard to deal with her mother-in-law Sandra (Jane Asher) who seem to have formed a dislike over her, Daniel’s friend Howard (Andy Nyman) who worries too much about a patch of discolouration in his hand, his friend Justin (Ewen Bremner) who is there to see his one night fling Martha (Daisy Donovan) who in turn is anxious about his accidentally drugged fiancé Simon (Alan Tudyk) meeting her father to say their news about engagement are in some kind of itty bitty agenda of their own. If this is too much of members I forgot Uncle Alfie (Peter Vaughan) and Martha’s brother Troy (Kris Marshall) and the Valium Bottle (An Acid mixed with Mescaline and Ketamine – A Hallucinogenic Drug). And you can take a guess of the mess in the funeral. Oh! I forgot to mention Peter (Peter Dinklage) who expects a monetary payment for something Daniel or Robert does not want any one to know about their father, at least not in his funeral.
If some one could have had fun in a funeral it should be the whole crew making this movie. And if some one had fun and also a nice bit of acting that should be the freaked out high fiancé Simon by Alan Tudyk and it is a meaty part to be that guy in this movie. No one can understand what exactly the influence is but the crazy thing he does still keeping touch with the ambience is devilishly sweet and funny.
I liked the time spent on each character which were evenly spaced and finely bordered. We know the small objective each have and some of them are inconsiderate enough. It is also been given back to them in an inconsiderate deadly manner. Funerals in my country or to be precise in my “culture” are the fake sadness in every bit of air mixed with the genuine loss of love the people who really loved them show. The loss of their loved ones is understandable for the family but I have seen unknown relative female pulling all her energy from the stomach to cry out loud. Faking something like that cannot be done worse than that. It is their way of “showing” their emotion or otherwise they will be judged for being so mean, ruthless and heartless to not cry in a funeral. In US or UK, no, no, no….the movies which show the funeral happening in US or UK, I like that being a nice gentle way of sending them off clean and with dignity which is the best thing to do. Frank Oz adds a touch of evil comedy to it which ends well to be good.
The setting is the funeral of Daniel’s (Matthew MacFayden) father. The title shows map view of a coffin marked by cross driving through its way on a “google map” kind of graphic. It drove following its path and finally making a stop. I was not able to concentrate on the credits but was eagerly seeing whether there will be something funny in that animation. Nothing happened. The scene immediately after that makes it funny due to the wait we took for the animation to show something funny but it is a base for the next scene, not the content but the curiosity it built. Off to good start, I was expecting riot of smirks and darkish comedy following instantly but it did not. And it did not bore either. Just it builds up the characters as a drama movie would do and then present the final sequences which are really good. Is it worth that wait? I would say yes. Not a positive solid yes, but ok kind of yes.
Daniel is the better in the lot of people who seem to care more about themselves than the sad situation. Daniel’s elder brother Robert (Rupert Graves) complaining about the first class flight journey and makes faces about the expense on the funeral, Daniel’s wife Jane (Keeley Hawes) finding hard to deal with her mother-in-law Sandra (Jane Asher) who seem to have formed a dislike over her, Daniel’s friend Howard (Andy Nyman) who worries too much about a patch of discolouration in his hand, his friend Justin (Ewen Bremner) who is there to see his one night fling Martha (Daisy Donovan) who in turn is anxious about his accidentally drugged fiancé Simon (Alan Tudyk) meeting her father to say their news about engagement are in some kind of itty bitty agenda of their own. If this is too much of members I forgot Uncle Alfie (Peter Vaughan) and Martha’s brother Troy (Kris Marshall) and the Valium Bottle (An Acid mixed with Mescaline and Ketamine – A Hallucinogenic Drug). And you can take a guess of the mess in the funeral. Oh! I forgot to mention Peter (Peter Dinklage) who expects a monetary payment for something Daniel or Robert does not want any one to know about their father, at least not in his funeral.
If some one could have had fun in a funeral it should be the whole crew making this movie. And if some one had fun and also a nice bit of acting that should be the freaked out high fiancé Simon by Alan Tudyk and it is a meaty part to be that guy in this movie. No one can understand what exactly the influence is but the crazy thing he does still keeping touch with the ambience is devilishly sweet and funny.
I liked the time spent on each character which were evenly spaced and finely bordered. We know the small objective each have and some of them are inconsiderate enough. It is also been given back to them in an inconsiderate deadly manner. Funerals in my country or to be precise in my “culture” are the fake sadness in every bit of air mixed with the genuine loss of love the people who really loved them show. The loss of their loved ones is understandable for the family but I have seen unknown relative female pulling all her energy from the stomach to cry out loud. Faking something like that cannot be done worse than that. It is their way of “showing” their emotion or otherwise they will be judged for being so mean, ruthless and heartless to not cry in a funeral. In US or UK, no, no, no….the movies which show the funeral happening in US or UK, I like that being a nice gentle way of sending them off clean and with dignity which is the best thing to do. Frank Oz adds a touch of evil comedy to it which ends well to be good.
1 comment:
I have your opinion sounds like exactly what I'm expecting from this one ... When I love a comedy, I almost always buy it on DVD, but it sounds like this one might indeed only be one I can say I like but not enough to go that far .. I'll find out soon enough!
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