Death at a Funeral Review

Chris Rock stars in this hit and miss American remake of the 2007 British film, Death at a Funeral. Rock plays Aaron, who is arranging the funeral for his recently deceased father. As family and friends arrive, Aaron’s problems multiply and escalate resulting in near total chaos. Aaron’s wife Michelle is desperately trying to get pregnant and is doing her best to seduce Aaron as guests arrive. She’s also fighting off criticism from Aaron’s unpleasant mother. Aaron’s arrogant brother Ryan has flown in from New York and is refusing to pay his share of the funeral costs. Meanwhile, Aaron’s cousin Elaine is bringing her fiancé Oscar, much to disapproval of her father. Oscar gets drugged with a hallucinogenic developed by Elaine’s brother Jeff and threatens to majorly disrupt the funeral. Elaine is being pursued by the infatuated family friend Derek, who arrived with Norman who in turn is doing his best to look after crotchety Uncle Russell. Add into this chaotic mix a mysterious dwarf with a surprising secret and you have yourself one heck of juggling act in terms of narrative cohesion.

Fortunately, the film more or less manages to keep its convoluted plot together, though it does not manage to keep up a consistent level of humour or believability. Chris Rock is probably one of the funniest people in America, although his comedic talents do not always translate into his roles on film, which is largely the case here. Rock plays the straight man to the wackiness of his family, when he would probably be better suited to a less serious role.

There are several funny moments, lines and scenes in the film but they are tempered by plenty of comedic misfires, such as the unnecessary, crass and juvenile scene when Tracey Morgan gets Uncle Russell’s poo on himself. Not big, clever or, crucially, funny. James Marsden, who plays the drugged-up Oscar provides most of the film’s early laughs, but his ‘I’m so high, isn’t it hilarious’ shtick eventually gets old.

As mentioned above, the dwindling of the film’s believability does become problematic. Comedy is only funny if we can buy into its conceit, but in Death at a Funeral the plot ‘jumps the shark’ far too often for its own good. For example, are we really expected to accept that someone would take and ingest another person’s random drugs that just happen to be lying around – in one instance out in the garden – under the assumption it’s Valium? There are further examples, but to mention them would spoil a great deal of the plot.

The strength of the cast is the film’s strongest suit, even if some of them are underperforming. As well as the aforementioned Rock, Morgan and Marsden, Death at a Funeral also boasts Martin Lawrence, Zoë Saldaña, Luke Wilson, Ron Glass, Peter Dinklage and an occasionally self-parodying Danny Glover.

Death at a Funeral represents a pretty mixed bag that’s hard to get too worked up either way about. I couldn’t decide whether I found the lack of moral retribution on some of its more reprehensible characters, such as Ryan, who creepily pursues a girl young enough to be his daughter, amusingly black-humoured or a critical oversight. The film has an oddly dated sense of humour and general manner, but if you happen to find farcical comedies appealing, then you may not go wrong with Death at a Funeral.

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