A fine example of how much tone and execution affect low humor.
Comment
08/16/07
Death at a Funeral (2007)
63
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:119
Fresh:75
Rotten:44
Average Rating:5.9/10
Consensus: Death At A Funeral is a rousing British farce, with enough slapstick silliness to overcome its faults.
Theatrical Release:02-11-2007
Synopsis: A dignified send-off for a loved one erupts into uproarious chaos when romance, jealousy, in-laws, hallucinogens, dark secrets, life-long yearnings and a spot of bold blackmail all collide in the... [More]
Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Rupert Graves, Peter Dinklage, Alan Tudyk
Director: Frank Oz
Reviews for Death at a Funeral
'Wrong' is the operative word with Death at a Funeral, which in the first very funny 30 minutes shows its hand and then, unfortunately, continues to wave that hand frantically for the next hour.
08/16/07
...this is the type of film where the deceased spills out of his coffin, people are splattered with feces and if one person can accidentally take a hallucinogen, three are funnier.
08/16/07
A well-crafted British farce -- albeit one with an American director, Frank Oz, working the controls - this throwback to the haughty high jinks of vintage Ealing comedies begins with an obvious, but effective, gag.
08/16/07
No, there aren't a lot of surprise giggles in it. But at this Funeral, the pleasure is in seeing those giggles coming.
08/16/07
Dinklage makes the most of a thankless role. The remaining actors are all OK, all immediately forgettable -- like the movie itself.
08/16/07
This broad farce blows the coffin lid off dignified send-offs, thanks to Dean Craig’s screwball script and the deft direction by Frank Oz.
08/16/07
Director Frank Oz has pulled off this kind of material before, most notably in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. But Death at a Funeral is too crude, and a bit too mean -- in particular, the blackmailing subplot featuring Peter Dinklage.
08/16/07
Although set in England with a predominantly British cast, Death at a Funeral is no stiff-upper-lipped comedy, but a lean, mean, and often crude, farce.
08/16/07
Death at a Funeral is a passable example of the British species of comedy. Directed by Frank Oz, it has the requisite amount of knockabout silliness.
08/16/07
An old-fashioned English farce with enough gross-out humor to rival the dumb and dumberest of American movies, but also enough smarts to make your pleasure guilt-free.
08/16/07
Full of tired, sitcom-level gags.
08/16/07
In a successful comedy of manners, the screenwriter and director are supposed to build the carefully lain plot to a frenzied fever pitch. Between Craig's lackluster script and Oz's tepid direction, its gait never gets beyond that of an elderly mallwalker.
08/16/07
This is a rollicking good show, reminscent of two classic Alan Dwan-Dennis O'Keefe screwball comedies from the '40s, Up in Mabel's Room and Getting Gertie's Garter.
08/16/07
Long delayed in its release because of the summer competition, Death arrives at last as an adult tonic in a season typically abandoned to the comic book cocktail.
08/16/07
To call this rubbish would be an insult to rubbish.
08/16/07
Describing the plot and characters doesn’t begin to convey the out-of-control energy the film radiates. You have to be there.
08/16/07
Death at a Funeral shows us how funny farce can be -- even with the hokiest of premises -- in the hands of the British.
08/16/07
The talented ensemble cast brings a certain amount of class to what ends up being a genuinely laugh out loud funny comedy.
08/16/07
Like Altman's Gosford Park, Oz's film is an organism comprising intersecting oddballs...
08/16/07
Top CriticLatest News for Death at a Funeral
December 06, 2009:
Trailer Bulletin: Death at a Funeral 
Chris Rock's "Death at a Funeral" remake is headed to theaters. Get an early look, thanks to the just-released trailer. More...
March 08, 2009:
Morgan and Lawrence Attend Rock's Death at a Funeral
Tracy Morgan and Martin Lawrence have signed up for Neil LaBute's "Death at a Funeral" remake, joining Chris Rock in the cast. More...
November 10, 2008:
Chris Rock Causes Another Death at a Funeral
Chris Rock has agreed to co-write and star in a remake of last year's Frank Oz-directed British comedy "Death at a Funeral." More...
August 16, 2007:
Critical Consensus: Superbad is Certified Fresh; The Invasion Crash-Lands
This week at the movies, we've got some McLovin (Superbad, starring Michael Cera and Jonah Hill), pod people (The Invasion, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig), and... More...
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