Remake less lively than British original
The recently released
”
Death at a Funeral
”
bears more than a passing resemblance to a film of the same name
released in 2007. But that’s not really a surprise since Dean Craig
penned the screenplays for both movies. The original version of the
film is set in Britain and includes a cast of mostly unknown (at
least in American circles) actors who play a grieving, but
dysfunctional, family at a funeral.
Remake less lively than British original
The recently released “Death at a Funeral” bears more than a passing resemblance to a film of the same name released in 2007. But that’s not really a surprise since Dean Craig penned the screenplays for both movies. The original version of the film is set in Britain and includes a cast of mostly unknown (at least in American circles) actors who play a grieving, but dysfunctional, family at a funeral.
In both films, the oldest and unappreciated son is burdened with making funeral arrangements after his father dies. He and his wife have been living with his parents while saving up for a home of their own. But that money has been spent on the funeral and he is hoping his famous brother, who is a writer, will pay him back for half of the expenses. Throw into the mix an hysterical mother, an ovulating wife who wants a child, and a mix of dysfunctional family and friends, and the movie is really funny.
The latest version takes place in America and includes a star-studded cast of mostly black actors – think Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Danny Glover, Tracy Morgan, and Zoe Saldana, whose star seems to be rising since her turn in the Oscar-nominated “Avatar.”
I saw the original film last year, on DVD. It was clever and funny, with a dose of deadpan British humor that can be so amusing. And though the two movies included the same story arc, and all the same characters (with names changed), something just seemed to get a little lost in translation.
The new version of the film is funny, but it’s just not as funny as the original. It was hard not to compare the performances in the original film as I was watching the second one. Matthew Macfadyen played the oldest son in the dysfunctional family with an air of exasperation that grew stronger as the day’s events get stranger and stranger. But Chris Rock’s character Aaron exasperation seems to be too level throughout the movie.
As with the original movie, Aaron is the oldest son whose been living at home with his parents and his wife. The death of Aaron’s father has put a few things on hold – namely their plans to move out of the house and start a family. The matriarch in the family is played by Loretta Devine, who has often played the role of mother in ensemble movies. She is melodramatic and over the top as Cynthia in her latest film.
Though Aaron has been the son close to home, Cynthia favors her younger son Ryan (Martin Lawrence), who is a famous writer. In fact, several people make a comment that Ryan should be the one to give the eulogy since he is the writer in the family. Aaron is a writer, too, but he’s never shown his work to anyone and he is unpublished.
The family drama is helped along by cousin Elaine (Zoe Saldana) who is bringing her fiance Oscar (James Marsden) to the wedding even though her father hates him. Things become even more complicated when Elaine gives Oscar a valium when they pick up her brother at his apartment – without realizing her pharmacology student brother has been creating hallucinogens. Marsden does a great job playing the accidentally high Oscar at the funeral while Elaine is harassed by an ex-boyfriend (Luke Wilson). Filling out the cast is Danny Glover as Uncle Russell and Tracy Morgan as a family friend who has been charged with taking care of the elderly curmudgeon for the day.
The drama continues to mount as Aaron notices a stranger in the midst of all the family and friends – a dwarf in a leather jacket played by Peter Dinklage. Frank (Dinklage) asks Aaron multiple times if they can chat for a few minutes, and Aaron puts him off to quell other issues throughout the day. But eventually Frank gets an audience with Aaron – and shares with him something that changes Aaron’s image of his father forever. Frank has proof of a secret life no one knew about and he is threatening to reveal it to everyone at the funeral unless he gets money from the brothers.
The movie is called “Death At a Funeral” and probably the best part of watching the first movie was trying to guess who was going to kick the bucket – the elderly uncle, a family friend, the stranger – and that bit of mystery will be lost to anyone who has seen the original film already.
Except for big fans of the actors in the remake, everyone else should just rent the original and watch it at home.
