(2012-04-28 19:52:20)

Death at a Funeral

This review is from: Death at a Funeral (DVD) Below par movie. Relied on bathroom humor. Not particularly funny. Below Danny Glover's standards.

Raul Faust

(2012-04-28 02:26:18)

Dying isn't that relaxable...

Well, I've recently seen the English version and yesterday I just sawthis one. There are lots of reviews bashing this one and praising theoriginal, which is something strange. The plot is basically the same;some actors work better here and some work better there, so it's ratingshouldn't be that different. Peter Dinklage, James Marsden, Chris Rockand Regina Hall are really funny actors and worked well in theircharacters-- with exception of Hall, since her character doesn't havemany funny lines, sadly. Uncle Russell isn't as hilarious as in theoriginal version, but he does his job. Other than that, the whole thingis pretty the same and you won't notice many differences between theversions. See it when you're in the mood and you'll have a good time.

Christy Lemire

(2012-04-27 02:13:33)

Neil LaBute and an all-star cast surprisingly breathe new life into the material.

(2012-04-26 15:00:06)

Death at A Funeral Review

This review is from: Death at a Funeral (DVD) Death at a Funeral was very hilarious and full of laughter. I can watch it over and over.

(2012-04-26 08:22:25)

Didn't Like it

This review is from: Death At A Funeral (2010) (Amazon Instant Video) Was excited about the star-studded cast, but I really didn't enjoy the potty humor in this movie. And there was a lot more of it in this one than in the original, it seems like.

Zerrick

(2012-04-25 19:21:53)

Will keep you laughing

Funny from start to finish. My husband is hard to pleased. He stayed up through out the whole movie and laughing his head off. Great job!!! LOL ;) Love it.

James E

(2012-04-21 15:23:39)

Why Remake a Classic?

Why Remake a classic film to make it more ethnic? I don't think it adds anything to the first version! What a waste!

Athena_The_Penguin

(2012-04-21 05:42:46)

Not bad, but needs more laughs! It's not funny enough!

When people decide they will make remakes outta the original ones, halfof the time they're really good, but...as for depending how much youreally try to make a difference, things can fail out a bit.I've never seen the other 2007 British version, but...the new one issorta half a failure. In the movie, a black family gather up togetherbecause a special man in their family has passed, but as the funeraldraws near, Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence's characters discover that alittle man they never seen before had something to do with their fathera long time ago.The film features a great cast like Luke Wilson, Zoe Saldana, JamesMarsden, Tracy Morgan, Keith David etc etc. The list can keep on goingforever, but to cut it really short, I don't think the word "comedy"was the best fit category for this movie. You might think about gettingmixed feelings for the movie cause that's what I was having before Isaw it until today.The beginning acts off sorta stupid, but in the middle of it, it blendsin a little. It's the jokes that are poorly misused and not enough"laugh out loud" funny sorta type you would usually have when you'rewatching a good or lousy bad comedy film.To work it out, I think the director, writers and the whole otherpeople at work needed to come up with better laugh out jokes while theywere making the film, but at the end, I guess the movie didn't turn outso bad. If the jokes were done right and gave out a more tickle in yourtummy, then the movie could of work out more with better please-meant!I give it a 4 and a half 10 stars because it still needed some morework for the laughs if they wanna please the audience without makingthem walk outta their seats and get their money back. They could ofdone better than that!

(2012-04-20 02:49:52)

Blu-ray: A gut-bursting, embarrassing, laugh-out loud comedy!

A gut-bursting, laugh-out loud comedy. If you are in the mood for a fun and entertaining film, definitely check out "Death at a Funeral"!In 2007, director Frank Oz and screenwriter Dean Craig were responsible for the critically acclaimed British black comedy film "Death at a Funeral".In 2009, producer/actor/comedian Chris Rock along with director Neil LaBute ("The Wicker Man", "Nurse Betty", "Lakeview Terrace") and original screenwriter for the British comedy Dean Craig went to work on an American adaptation of the film. And in 2010, the film was released in theaters and made over $48 million in the box office.VIDEO:"Death at a Funeral" is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:40:1). Another excellent HD release from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. There is a lot of detail in this film, some details...some people may feel it's a bit too detailed (ie. the poop scene). But there is a lot of detail in this Blu-ray release, from the skin pigments on the actors, the detail on the coffin and overall surroundings, the vibrant colors with the reds/browns indoors to the colors outdoors, blacks are nice and deep, there is a good amount of grain that can be seen in the film and I saw no DNR or compression artifacts.Picture quality is absolutely solid for this release!AUDIO & SUBTITLES:"Death at a Funeral" is featured in English, French and Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD MA and Spanish/English (Audio Description Track) Dolby Digital 5.1. Aside from the music shown at the opening and ending credits, "Death at a Funeral" is a dialogue-driven film that is mostly front and center channel driven. There really wasn't anything that stood out, audio-wise especially for the surround channels. If anything, it's all about the dialogue and the dialogue on the lossless soundtrack is crystal clear. I detected no hiss or any audio problems while watching the film.Subtitles are presented in English, English SDH, French, Portuguese and Spanish.SPECIAL FEATURES:"Death at a Funeral" comes with the following special features (in standard and high definition, English stereo and with English, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles): * movieIQ(tm)+sync and BD-Live connect you to real-time information on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the movie! * Commentary with Director Neil LaBute and Chris Rock - Very informative commentary by Director Neil LaBute and producer/actor Chris Rock. LaBute and Rock break down the scene and gives us detail on the making of the film, working with various talent, Michael Jackson references and more. * Deleted Scenes - (7:13) Featuring eight deleted scenes from the film. * Gag Reel - (2:37) The outtakes from the film. * Death at a Funeral: Last Rites, Dark Secrets - (20:11) The cast and the producers talk about remaking the popular British comedy for an American audience. The cast talk about working with other cast members and working with director Nick LaBute. * Family Album - (10:59) The cast talk about their characters and their relation to other characters in the film. * Death For Real - (5:55) The cast of the film talk about funerals and death.JUDGMENT CALL:Typically, when a popular foreign film receives its adaptation for the US, there are drastic changes. So, bad are the changes, most of the time we ask why these films bother being remade. But with "Death of a Funeral", it's a remake that works and for some, it may prove to be much better than the original.Aside from the obvious difference of the film spotlighting a Black family in mourning, the film still manages to capture the essence of the original but also making the humor much more accessible for American audiences. For its main storyline, both director LaBute and Chris Rock has said that they kept true to the original without many storyline changes.With that being said, it's understandable if people are wondering why there was a remake of a perfectly well-done British film for the US. And the answer is that although there are a good number of us who will seek out films from the UK and also from other countries, the majority of Americans will not. I can easily remember the same argument being made when BBC America's "Coupling" and "The Office" was going to receive its US adaptation and many felt these remakes were pointless. And we are seeing it today with fans wondering why there will be an American remake of the show "The Vicar of Dibley". It's understandable why these passionate fans of the British comedies were crying foul of why the US needed to do in their words "another pointless remake". While the American version of "The Coupling" fizzled, the American version of "The Office" evolved into something different from the original British series and became a highly-rated television hit.So, here we are with a 2010 remake of the popular 2007 film and yes...the original version is a fantastic film but I've gone past the "Why do we need a remake?" phase after seeing what has happened with American adaptations of Japanese and Korean horror or dramatic films. And I've read enough message postings by fans of the original "Death at the Funeral" panning this American version. But keeping an opening mind and watching this film, I can easily say that I found the 2010 version of "Death at a Funeral" to be a film that is capable of gut-bursting, laugh-out loud moments.I remember reading Roger Ebert's review of the film and saying that he laughed all the way through the film (and he also enjoyed the original) and I have to agree. I came in to this film with low expectations because I enjoyed the original but while watching the film, I couldn't stop laughing and I had the feeling the American humor and the crazy antics that take place in the film would go well with the audience.The fact is that many of us have experienced funerals and how tense they are. But when things go wrong, it's like a trainwreck that you just can't keep your eyes off of it. In this case, seeing this family having to go through crazy and embarrassing situations from the moment Aaron (Chris Rock) opens the casket to find a deceased Asian man, you can't help but laugh and know that you are in for a wild ride. But as much as I love Chris Rock's comedy, his character was the most subdued as he is the man who must stay in control. It's the other supporting talent around him who shine on screen and this cast did a pretty good job.From Aaron's wife Michelle wanting to have sex quickly in order to get pregnant an hour or so before the actual funeral, Aaron's brother Ryan trying to be suave and cool despite having problems in his personal life but then you have the extended family with Elaine and her new boyfriend Oscar. Personally, this is one role in which I never expected James Marsden to play (as the accidentally drugged out boyfriend), let alone be naked in front of so many people (according to Marsden, he was gullible and forgot to ask for a closed set and thus, he was nude in front of hundreds of people during the shooting of his nude scene) and you know when you see Oscar show up onscreen, you know that nothing but trouble will be happening. It's one thing to know that you will be getting laughs from Rock, Lawrence and Morgan but I wasn't expecting to laugh so much during Marsden's appearances in the film.And then there is Tracy Morgan who improvised a lot of his scenes and the things that come out of his mouth is just crazy and hilarious. Yes, he comes up with crazy, yet stupid dialogue but it works with the character quite effectively. Especially the interaction between Morgan's character Norman and the crotchety Uncle Russell, which Danny Glover does a great job playing that role. And the bathroom scene is just a gross but crazy scene that got me laughing and feeling gross about the scene all at once.And then you have the appearance of Frank (the gay lover of Aaron's father), played by Peter Dinklage who was in the original film. Who is definitely much more hilarious this time around. Overall, you have a solid cast in the 2010 version of "Death at a Funeral". Everyone played their parts exceptionally well and you can't help but laugh!One thing where Ebert hit it right square on the nail in his review was his comment, "British actors are rightly known for their skill, and there were some good ones in the 2007 version of the same Dean Craig screenplay. But playing proper upper-crust characters tends to restrain them. The family in "Death at Funeral" is obviously wealthy, but loose-more human. Their emotions are closer to the surface, and these actors work together like a stock company."I happen to agree. With American audiences, people relate to characters like them and in this case, these are not upper-class characters. You have Aaron worrying about the financial situation of paying for the funeral (which many American families have to face) and each of these talents work quite well with each other and as Chris Rock has mentioned in one of the featurettes, it was important for him to hire a director that he could trust for the film and director Nick Labute did a good job in making a film for the American audience. And the fact that you had the original writer for the British film, Dean Craig, involved is a major plus.As for the Blu-ray release, "Death at a Funeral" has a pretty solid commentary by director LaBute and Chris Rock and also a good number of short featurettes interviewing the cast about their characters and working with each other. Also, this Blu-ray release is consistent with a lot of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releases of awesome PQ, solid blacks and no video anomalies. This is a solid film featuring wonderful picture quality, the film is not exactly the kind of film you would be hearing major utilization of the surround channels but dialogue is absolutely clear and understandable.Overall, "Death at a Funeral" is one of those films that you love for its embarrassing and crude humor but also I can understand if fans of the original have a hard time accepting this new film because of how different it is and the feeling that there is no reason for a audiences to watch a remake. But having said I enjoyed the original a lot, having watched "Death at a Funeral" (201o) was such a fun and entertaining experience, I felt that I was laughing out loud throughout the film and that's a good thing.A gut-bursting, embarrassing, laugh-out loud comedy. If you are in the mood for a fun and entertaining film, definitely check out "Death at a Funeral"!

KineticSeoul

(2012-04-19 08:31:57)

Haven't seen the original yet, but I can still tell this version is inferior

I heard positive stuff about the original after this version came out.And from what I heard this movie is a negative compared to theoriginal. So I don't really get why they came out with this versionwhen the original came out just a few years ago. The whole movie isbasically a black comedy revolving around one funeral. Most of thejokes come from the whole family gathering at a funeral and begin toargue and bicker in a obnoxious manner. I don't know how good theoriginal version is, but this movie felt like a waste of time most ofthe way through. The jokes in this movie isn't even funny most of thetime, but what it does is over exaggerate everything and try uber hardto make unfunny funny. Which doesn't really work most of the time, thetrailer seemed pretty dull and boring comedy and this movie isbasically the same. Since the positive reviews the original has beengetting, I wonder why they decided to make this version when tanks. AndI can tell without even seeing the original that came out in 2007. Theplot about almost everything going wrong at a funeral might be a goodidea for a black comedy, but this one goes in a direction where it'snot effective at all.3/10

Jen Yamato

(2012-04-19 14:14:51)

Poor Tracy Morgan with chunks of fecal matter stuck to his face. I laughed, and then I wanted to barf. Then I LOLed some more.

(2012-04-18 20:38:20)

Death at a funeral

This review is from: Death at a Funeral (DVD) Was this movie supposed to be funny or what? Comedy was absent in most of this movie. Half of the movie was occupied by the guy on the roof, shades of Laurel and Hardy, what will they think of next? I haven't had the pleasure of watching the other version but I think this movie should have its own funeral and burial.

(2012-04-09 00:17:35)

Deadly dull comedy

Usually when Hollywood does a remake, it's done for one of two reasons: either the studio believes the original was such a hit that a slightly-off carbon copy will make money, too, or it's a successful foreign film they pick up on the cheap so they can do a quick translation of it in order to make money, too.The reasons for Sony Pictures doing a remake of Death at a Funeral are a lot less clear, except for the `make money' part.[...]

(2012-04-08 06:31:00)

Death at a Funeral Review

DEATH AT A FUNERAL STARRING: Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, Zoe Saldana, James Marsden, Danny Glover, Luke Wilson, Keith David, Loretta Devine, Peter Dinklage, Regina Hall, Columbus Short and Regine Nehy WRITTEN BY: Dean Craig DIRECTED BY: Neil LaBute Rated: R Genre: Comedy Release Date: 17 April 2010Review Date: 25 May 2010I have yet to see the original version of this film that was released in 2007, but hearing that is just as good as this year's Death at a Funeral, I will surely be checking it out soon. This film was insane, hilarious, and a whole lot of fun! We've got Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Luke Wilson, Tracy Morgan, Danny Glover, Zoe Saldana, James Marsden, Keith David, Loretta Devine and Regina Hall, all packed into a movie that essentially takes place within one central location. What's not to like? If that's not sufficient enough for you, then throw in someone else incredible and who I have pegged to win the first Oscar for a littler person - Peter Dinklage. You may not know him by name, but he's every bit as talented as those previously mentioned. Chris Rock stars as Aaron and he is having a really bad day. His father has died and all he wants to do is just get through the funeral and move on with his life. When he realizes that the funeral recession personnel have somehow `misplaced' his father's body and were in an attempt to unintentionally bury the wrong man - naturally a slight case of panic sets in. This is just one of many events that will go awry on this painful day. When Aaron's brother Ryan (Martin Lawrence) shows up at the funeral, he heaps on feelings of insecurity and aggression to Aaron's already in the slumps mood. This stems largely from the fact that Ryan has been a much more successful writer; so much in fact that their family often seems to forget that Aaron is a writer as well. To make matters worse, Aaron's wife is on his case about something personal; his mother is in hysterics with dealing with the death of Aaron's father; and pretty much everyone else that attends, has their own personality disorders and or bad timing mishaps that fuel to the comedic fire of this film. But none of these situations stand up to the one that an outsider brings with him. A mysterious man named Frank (Peter Dinklage) has a painful case of blackmail that will surely tarnish his father's name, lined up for Aaron on this of all days. As humorous as all of these events were, the one that took the cake for me, and everyone else in the theater I shared the viewing with, was the performance of James Marsden. He plays Oscar and is brought to the funeral by his girlfriend Elaine (Zoe Saldana) and has yet to meet her father, who will also be at the funeral. When Elaine accidentally gives Oscar the wrong medication due to a mix-up from her brother - Oscar will be appearing at the last rites in a somewhat `less than sober' fashion. Marsden's portrayal of a man battling the demon of an unwanted high, while trying to make an impression on his lover's family, was classic and will have you puking your guts out with laughter. I haven't laughed this hard since The Hangover. I have no idea how he was able to muster up some of the facial expressions that he does, but he did and God bless him for it. There is almost nothing as humorous as watching someone unable to control themselves at a time that calls for them to be on their best behavior. Marsden's demonstration is among the best of such that you will find in any cinematic recording to date. It's a screw-ball comedy at times, for sure. But it is cleverly written and directed. Director Neil LaBute steps away from his last two top notch thrillers (The Wicker Man (2006) and Lakeview Terrace) and gets back into comedy. His forte is dark comedy; having previously directed Nurse Betty and Your Friends & Neighbors, it's clear he knows exactly what he's doing. The film is well acted by all of its huge hitters as well. Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence and Tracey Morgan are three of the best in comedy and we see new sides to all three of them here. And of course, James Marsden will blow you away. It's perfect that his character's name is Oscar, because he's just as worthy of an Oscar Nomination as Robert Downey Jr. was in Tropic Thunder. Comedy requires talent too, sometimes even more-so than drama, and Death at a Funeral showcases that beautifully, several times over.

(2012-04-02 19:54:37)

A "Cheap" Copy

Compared to the original and witty British version, this movie is only a cheap copy. Well, not cheap, because the all-star American cast got paid millions more than the British cast. Of course, the British movie could not be released in America because most Americans can't understand the "Queen's English" (nor the slang), and it wasn't "properly" politically correct. However, IF you can understand British humor you're much better off with the original. And the original stars Paul McCartney's ex-girlfriend...the one BEFORE Linda.

T&R W

(2012-04-02 16:06:21)

A retelling of the original, not a copy.

It may not be fully the equal of the English movie that it is based on,but I think that what sets this movie out as being worthwhile is thatit ISN'T just a flat remake; and yet, at the same time, it faithfullycarries the whole heart of the original story. This is still a greatmovie, and worth a watch.What sets it apart is that it takes one of the original's greateststrengths - the wonderfully woven storyline that created the wholecomic setting that the cast plays off of - and then detaches it fromtypically dry British humour, then pairs it with the more overstatedhumour of black American movies. It really is a polar opposite style ofcomedy -- think of the contrast between a black Gospel church and aquiet Anglican church in Oxfordshire. You could complain about itsbluntness compared to the English version; but that's the whole pointhere, and it's what makes the remake worthwhile. This is the same greatstory, with the same roles, but new characters playing the parts to acompletely different beat.I'm a born and raised Englishman, and I really love the original. It'sa fine example of a British comedy movie, probably the best I've seenin many years. But I think that the American version attracts too muchof its criticism for not being the English one, and I think that missesthe point. This movie isn't trying to be the original. It's retellingthe story, rather than trying to carbon-copy it.And really, it's the only reinvention of this movie that ever COULDhave been worthwhile. Trying to copy the original version, bones, styleand all, would have been futile and pointless. But this version,instead, gives the same story a fresh rhythm; a rhythm that may appealto some on whom the original's dryness might have been lost. And I'mquite unashamed to say that while the original, for me, is the fairestin the land, my heart loves them both nonetheless.

bdemitries

(2012-04-01 14:36:50)

Excellent movie

Death at a Funeral is one hilarious movie. It's one of the funniestmovies i've seen this century, and probably the best of 2010 so far.This new remake of the original that was released in 2007 features lotsof big laughs, and is just as funny as the first. Chris Rock, TracyMorgan, Martin Lawrence, and the handful of other black actors reallyknow how to meet the demands of comedy hungry fans. This movie has gotto be one of the most funniest since the Hangover and Bruno. While itdoes feature scenes that are more of the same of the original, it stillbrings back more laughs than you can count. Overall, Death at a Funeralis an excellent movie that is well worth watching if you want to have alaugh (actually, tons of laughs).

Cole Smithey

(2012-03-31 23:37:29)

Audiences unfamiliar with Frank Oz's 2007 original film by the same title will find guilty laughs at Neil Labute's less funny remake.

Thomas Leupp

(2012-03-23 17:18:11)

Comedy is the real casualty in this fatally unfunny remake.

(2012-03-23 04:41:31)

GO SEE THE MOVIE IT WAS FUNNY

This movie was great and I don't know what you people are talking about racist. Did you hear Rock at the end of the movie stating his father accepted everyone. Nobody was making fun of white people. The funniest part of the movie was with Morgan and Glover. The last time I checked neither was white.PEOPLE, STOP BRINING RACE INTO EVERYTHING. The movie was about a family dealing with everyday issues.