No matter how hard films try, death is just not a funny premise for a comedy. “Death at a Funeral” is one such example. The film stars a bloated cast, including Chris Rock, Tracy Morgan, Martin Lawrence, Danny Glover, Zoe Saldana, James Marsden, Luke Wilson, Columbus Short and more (since I’m already too exhausted to keep listing them all). It is based on the 2007 British comedy of the same name. Whereas its predecessor used British comedy mixed with some gags, this new re-imagination of “Death at a Funeral” is like a bad circus act: desperately trying to milk laughs out of stale and often cheap slapstick comedy.
The film centers on Chris Rock’s character, Aaron, and how he handles the grief of his father death at his funeral. Rock seems torn between portraying his character’s mourning over his father’s death as well as the comedy aspect of the film. His whole family gets together to celebrate the life of Aaron’s father, and the ceremony quickly devolves into various debacles of family secrets, misplaced corpses, and possible deaths. Martin Lawrence stars as Ryan, who makes his performance in “Big Momma’s House” look Oscar-worthy. Tracy Morgan plays himself, disguised as a character named Norman who deals with carting around his uncle, Danny Glover’s curmudgeonly Uncle Russell. After starring in last year’s biggest hit, “Avatar,” Zoe Saldana decides her next project is this shrill character Elaine, who is babysitting her boyfriend, Oscar (James Marsden) who accidentally ingests acid at the funeral, has hallucinations, and strips off his clothes in the middle of the gathering. James Marsden shines as the funniest character in the whole film, which is embarrassing, considering the rest of the cast is a who’s who of famous comedians.
If slapstick comedy is your thing, then you might find this film funny, but real slapstick comes from the Three Stooges and Charlie Chaplin, not from the man who brought you “The Wicker Man.” Maybe this film might have been funnier if it included Nicholas Cage decking someone while wearing a bear costume or giving Leelee Sobieski a much needed beat down. By watching a film by director Neil LaBlute, you should automatically accept the fact that what you are watching will not be cinematic gold.
Also, a message for the writers of this film: bodies tumble out of coffins, subplots involving the deceased being gay lovers with the same angry “little person” in “Elf” (got to keep it politically correct here), and gross out moments involving hands, toilets and Danny Glover are not the elements of a good comedy, they’re just plain distasteful. Don’t get me wrong, this film is not this year’s “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” or “The Love Guru,” but with some better script writing and more of an emphasis on intelligent comedy, coupled with some stronger performances it might have been a lot better. I’m not a fan of this brand of comedy, but it certainly doesn’t mean everyone shares my comedic tastes.
Sometimes, the film did make me laugh, but they were all so cheap, I almost felt dirty for finding some type of humor in this film’s endless barrage of silly, over-the-top, gross-out jokes and pratfalls. It might just be me, but I don’t think death is a suitable subject for a comedy film. Show me a film about death that is intelligently scripted, with performances that delicately tiptoe the line between humor and sadness without devolving into desperate, tasteless jokes. In short, if repulsive, gross-out comedy tickles your funny bone, then this may be the film for you, but it was not for me. “Death at a Funeral’s” tagline was ‘This is one sad family.’ Well this is one sad film, because by the time the credits roll, I was mourning the loss of an hour and a half of my life that could’ve been better spent elsewhere.
Rating: 1 1/2 stars, but only for James Marsden’s performance
Where to Find It: On DVD now
The film centers on Chris Rock’s character, Aaron, and how he handles the grief of his father death at his funeral. Rock seems torn between portraying his character’s mourning over his father’s death as well as the comedy aspect of the film. His whole family gets together to celebrate the life of Aaron’s father, and the ceremony quickly devolves into various debacles of family secrets, misplaced corpses, and possible deaths. Martin Lawrence stars as Ryan, who makes his performance in “Big Momma’s House” look Oscar-worthy. Tracy Morgan plays himself, disguised as a character named Norman who deals with carting around his uncle, Danny Glover’s curmudgeonly Uncle Russell. After starring in last year’s biggest hit, “Avatar,” Zoe Saldana decides her next project is this shrill character Elaine, who is babysitting her boyfriend, Oscar (James Marsden) who accidentally ingests acid at the funeral, has hallucinations, and strips off his clothes in the middle of the gathering. James Marsden shines as the funniest character in the whole film, which is embarrassing, considering the rest of the cast is a who’s who of famous comedians.
If slapstick comedy is your thing, then you might find this film funny, but real slapstick comes from the Three Stooges and Charlie Chaplin, not from the man who brought you “The Wicker Man.” Maybe this film might have been funnier if it included Nicholas Cage decking someone while wearing a bear costume or giving Leelee Sobieski a much needed beat down. By watching a film by director Neil LaBlute, you should automatically accept the fact that what you are watching will not be cinematic gold.
Also, a message for the writers of this film: bodies tumble out of coffins, subplots involving the deceased being gay lovers with the same angry “little person” in “Elf” (got to keep it politically correct here), and gross out moments involving hands, toilets and Danny Glover are not the elements of a good comedy, they’re just plain distasteful. Don’t get me wrong, this film is not this year’s “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” or “The Love Guru,” but with some better script writing and more of an emphasis on intelligent comedy, coupled with some stronger performances it might have been a lot better. I’m not a fan of this brand of comedy, but it certainly doesn’t mean everyone shares my comedic tastes.
Sometimes, the film did make me laugh, but they were all so cheap, I almost felt dirty for finding some type of humor in this film’s endless barrage of silly, over-the-top, gross-out jokes and pratfalls. It might just be me, but I don’t think death is a suitable subject for a comedy film. Show me a film about death that is intelligently scripted, with performances that delicately tiptoe the line between humor and sadness without devolving into desperate, tasteless jokes. In short, if repulsive, gross-out comedy tickles your funny bone, then this may be the film for you, but it was not for me. “Death at a Funeral’s” tagline was ‘This is one sad family.’ Well this is one sad film, because by the time the credits roll, I was mourning the loss of an hour and a half of my life that could’ve been better spent elsewhere.
Rating: 1 1/2 stars, but only for James Marsden’s performance
Where to Find It: On DVD now
You should have been with me when I went to see this movie. First of all, people brought their CHILDREN. I get that nobody expected how crass this movie was going to be, but still, nobody has the excuse to be so clueless that they bring KIDS UNDER 10.
ReplyDeleteSecond of all, the theater was DYING. During the "bathroom scene" (thats what i'll call it) they were literally so loud that me and my friends turned to each other in shock, not of the scene, but at the reaction. It was deafening. Everyone was pretty much rolling in their seats. Some parts were funny, and I could understand the laughter, but the audience was clearly more entertained by the gross out comedy, which makes me worry for society. That was what took me out of the film immediately. The movie isn't really "funny" it's just filled with...unfortunate events. That's not comedy, sorry guys.