Death at a Funeral

'At least Death comes with a casket'

You know how sometimes you see a trailer that makes you laugh outloud and then you see the film and feel that all the best parts were already shown? Well, Death at a Funeral is better than that, albeit not by much. This film lacks heavily in some of the realm of essentials that it tries to dabble in as a film. It's directed by Frank Oz, aka Yoda, with a cast of relative unknown actors in America and has the feel of a small quirky British comedy. The problem is that Oz should have taken more notes from A Fish Called Wanda and Fierce Creatures before making this film and less from Wes Anderson.

Death at a Funeral stars highlt talented actors in a dark situation comedy. It's perfect casting and the script allows for wonderful comedy to ensue, however this genre of movie REQUIRES not only a good script and cast, but a sure and knowing hand as director to make it work. The vision has to be there otherwise someone somewhere along the way will get lost and the whole thing will tumble from the tightrope known as intelligent humor down to the dull brown sod below it. The trend for these types of films recently has been a downer to me. Wes Anderson is an interesting director but he tends to make his movies so depressing that it becomes hard to laugh despite whatever happens. Frank Oz thankfully never falls into this trap. He realizes that the situation of a grieving estranged family at a funeral and the script provide enough gravitas to the atmosphere to keep it dark throughout without his help. So he focuses on making things lighter and adding the comedy in an honest fashion, as the script and material requires itself to be taken. Oz does all of the first things right. Instead, he falls with Anderson in the problem of not making it light enough. Sure there are hallucinogenic drugs and scandalous stories abounding as ties grow taut and it all resolves in an awkward speech at the end that is far from outstanding...but the real problem is the lack of outrage in the characters. The actors all do a nice job of hitting punchlines and comedic timing, but the problem is their reactions! For God's sake, their father is gay and they only joke once before asking, "you mean he's a gay?" The problem with honest reactions is that it sometimes requires further involvement in characters and delving further into how a character would react instead of just following the pacing of the script and then molding the two into an organic material. It is why A Fish Called Wanda succeeds so well, after all who could ever play outrage better than Kevin Kline? No, the problem doesn't come from any one actor in fact but from all of them leading me to believe that it was a directorial choice used to emphasize the fact that the family was trying to keep its staunch upper lip position and a shot for more subtle comedy. It works at tmes, but the reason why it isn't consistent is because there is no strong reaction or time spent on anyone in particular. Honestly, if that was fixed, I think the jokes would have reached farther and hit more often and made this film much better. The best reaction in this film was the absolute horror with which Howard found an unexpected surprise in his mouth. More big reactions at times please, especially when the people are holding private conversations.

As for scenery, well, this could, should, and probably will be a play. It's practically set in one place which must have been nice for the set designers and the director, but it is also well adapted. The lighting is good for a small film like this. And the music is amusing at times.

Lastly, as to actors, well where to start. Mathew MacFayden as the main character is great. His composure and general appearance scream meek and average and it is great to see his anger. He is the only one who could downplay everything and still have it come across crystal clear what went through his character's head. I loved the scene where he writing the check and Peter Dinklage goes off about writing. However, he could have used more variation and some more disbelief at times. Speaking of Peter Dinklage, he comes across as a very good actor and now I have to admit he was perfect for the part. Not only for height reasons which added some great laughs, but also for his talent which amazed me because I believed him to be possibly gay, and he walked a fine line but never crossed over into too campy or diva-like De Niro did in a recent movie. Instead he was just a short gay man there to pay respects and get what he deserved. No big tears or crying about feeling like a cheap whore and he seemed respectable. Great choice for him. Andy Nyman as Howard the hypochondriac is great after a while seeing how he keeps getting gipped and mistreated, although its hard to like him fully because of his annoying ass habits. He is a good foil though to Ewen Bremmer's Justin who just whines and tries to catch an old girl pathetically. It's sad, because I've seen Bremmer in other films where he is hilarious, but in this film his character is just bland to begin with and then he is underused and his reactions needed more punch. Good guy, but not for the part. Lastly, if it seems that I'm only focusing on the guys, its because I am since they tend to be the ones in the film who lose their heads and go crazy. The last two main men are Alan Tudyk and Kris Marshall. I have followed Tudyk since his Serenity days and I have to admit that it was a good part for him in this film even if he is a litle too wonky all the time. I also felt that he could have had more fun with the part and that he didn't need to necessarily try so hard to be that character. It was pretty obvious that he was trying really hard to get the "I'm-coocoo-for-cocopuffs-crazy" humor that is in the character. At times, he gives just teh right amount and at others he's a little too much of a scene stealer or the fact that he is thinking of something to improv next is in his eyes and can jolt the audience back and forth in believability in his character. He's great for the part, but he needed a little better tweaking and direction from the director. Kris Marshall I have seen before as well, in what, I can't remember but it doesn't matter since he is perfect in this film as the favored child who went into pharmacy and then used his knowledge in making and selling illegal drugs in a hawkish way. He holds himself always in a I'm better than you manner because I am a knowledgeable pharmacist person and it makes it that much sweeter to watch him have his ass on the line throughout the film. Thankfully, he is not an odious person and so even though he is involved in things that make him easy to hate, his personality is one of trying to help others, even to save himself, which makes it okay that he isn't outed in the film.

Conclusion:
Strong females with little to no comedy to do lead me to believe that the writer was male. The situations and the dialogue and even the subject material and setting are all perfectly set up and in place. The actors picked are more than suited for their roles. The director starts on the right foot, but he doesn't tweak and work with the actors enough to get the utmost out of the script and talent which leads the film to feel like it could have been better. It was a great try and compared to Stepford Wives its a step up, but Oz needs to get his game back on and produce some excellent guffaws to herald his return with his next film, if he gets the chance. Keep the Force, you need it.

3.6 out of 5

Wannabe