AltWeeklies Wire » Movies+TV » Reviews

'Death at a Funeral': Over the Top, Backwards

By Cole Smithey
Maui Time | June 11, 2007
Director Frank Oz nearly redeems himself after his disastrous Stepford Wives remake, with a British black comedy that goes over the top backwards. Wanna-be novelist Daniel (Matthew Macfadyen) ambivalently prepares for his recently deceased father's funeral with the help of his distracted wife Jane (Keeley Hawes). But no amount of preparation could prepare him for the mistakenly ingested drugs, attempted blackmail, corpse switching and bouts of nudity that attend the mansion-bound funerary services. Peter Dinklage adds his signature spice as a former gay lover to the deceased, intent on sharing in some financial reward of the closeted man's passing. Inspired performances from the ensemble cast, including Ewan Bremner, Rupert Graves and Alan Tudyk, dispatch waves of laughter in this well-crafted comedy.

Rated R, 90 mins. (B+)
Tags: Death at a Funeral, Frank Oz

Maui Time

Maui Time Weekly provides insightful analysis and in depth reporting. We believe some issues are so important they require thoughtful consideration. We are not a “paper of record”—a daily journal of government meetings, ribbon-cuttings and corporate announcements. We decide what’s...
More »
Contact for Reprint Rights
  • Market Served: Metropolitan Area
  • Address: 33 N. Market St., Suite 201, Wailuku, HI 96793
  • Phone: (808) 244-0777
www.mauitime.com