Death at a Funeral (2010 film)

Last updated

Death at a Funeral
Death at a Funeral 2010 Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Neil LaBute
Screenplay by Dean Craig
Based on Death at a Funeral
by Dean Craig
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRogier Stoffers
Edited byTracey Wadmore-Smith
Music by Christophe Beck
Production
companies
Distributed by Screen Gems (through Sony Pictures Releasing [1] )
Release dates
  • April 12, 2010 (2010-04-12)(Hollywood)
  • April 16, 2010 (2010-04-16)(United States)
Running time
92 minutes [2]
Countries
  • United States
  • United Kingdom [3] [1]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$21 million [4]
Box office$49.1 million [5]

Death at a Funeral is a 2010 American black comedy film directed by Neil LaBute and written by Dean Craig. It is a remake of the 2007 film of the same name, also written by Craig. The film features an ensemble cast including Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Danny Glover, Regina Hall, Peter Dinklage, James Marsden, Tracy Morgan, Loretta Devine, Zoë Saldaña, Columbus Short, Luke Wilson, Keith David, Ron Glass and Kevin Hart; Dinklage is the only actor to appear in both films. The film was released in the United States on April 16, 2010.

Contents

Plot

A funeral service is being held for a man named Edward. His older son Aaron and Aaron's wife Michelle live at his parents' home, but have been trying to buy their own and have children. Aaron's younger brother Ryan is a successful author, while Aaron (a tax accountant) has not yet completed his own novel, and resents that Ryan would rather spend money on a first class airline ticket than help pay for the funeral expenses.

Aaron and Ryan's cousin Elaine and her fiancé Oscar are on their way to pick up Elaine's brother Jeff before heading to the funeral. To ease Oscar's nerves, she gives him a pill from a bottle labeled as Valium. Jeff later reveals to Elaine that it is a powerful hallucinogenic drug he has concocted for a friend. Chaos ensues when Oscar hallucinates that the coffin is moving. He knocks it over, and the body falls out of the coffin.

Aaron is approached by an unknown guest named Frank, who reveals himself to be the secret lover of his late father. Frank shows Aaron photos as proof and threatens to reveal them to Aaron and Ryan's mother Cynthia unless he is paid $30,000. While in shock, Aaron relays the situation to Ryan, who suggests Aaron to pay the money because Ryan claims that he is in debt. When Aaron and Ryan meet with Frank to pay him, Frank starts to deride Aaron's ability as a writer and Aaron refuses to pay. Frank turns violent, but Aaron and Ryan subdue him, tying him up to prevent him from leaving. Family friend Norman enters the room, giving Frank several doses of what he also believes is Valium to try to calm him down. Jeff also enters the room, telling them that it is the same hallucinogen Oscar took earlier.

When Jeff and Norman, who are supposed to be watching Frank, get distracted by Uncle Russell, Frank releases himself from his bonds and is knocked unconscious upon falling over and hitting his head on a table. With Aaron, Ryan, Jeff and Norman believing that Frank is dead, they plan to put him in the coffin, and their opportunity comes when everyone is outside watching Oscar, who is on the roof naked and threatening to jump off the roof because he has seen Elaine's ex-boyfriend Derek kissing her. Elaine tells Oscar that Derek forcibly kissed her and calms him down by revealing she is pregnant. With everyone back inside, they continue the eulogy. While Aaron awkwardly tries to give his speech, Frank starts banging on the coffin, then suddenly forces it open and emerges. The pictures fall out of Frank's pocket, causing Cynthia to attack Frank in a berserk rage. Aaron yells for everyone's attention as he delivers an impromptu and moving eulogy, saying that his father was a good man with flaws like everyone else.

Aaron and Ryan say goodbye while Ryan gets a ride to the airport from Martina, whom he had been trying to seduce all day. Aaron and Michelle are finally alone when Aaron asks where Uncle Russell is. Michelle tells him that she gave him what she believes is Valium to calm him down, shocking Aaron. Uncle Russell sits on the roof naked, like Oscar had been, remarking that "everything's so fucking green..."

Cast

Reception

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 43% of critics have given the film a positive review, based on 138 reviews, with an average rating of 5.00/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "It's amusing and it assembles a talented cast, but Neil LaBute's surprisingly faithful remake of the 2007 Frank Oz dramedy ultimately falls short of the original." [6] Another review aggregator, Metacritic, gave the film a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [7] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. [8]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3+1⁄2 out of 4 stars, believing it was better than the original. He wrote, "here's the best comedy since The Hangover ... a lot of Death at a Funeral is in very bad taste. That's when I laughed the most." [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Dinklage</span> American actor (born 1969)

Peter Hayden Dinklage is an American actor. Portraying Tyrion Lannister on the HBO television series Game of Thrones (2011–2019), Dinklage won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series a record four times. He also received a Golden Globe Award in 2011 and a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2020 for the role. Dinklage has a common form of dwarfism known as achondroplasia, and stands 4 ft 5 in (1.35 m) tall. He has used his celebrity status to raise social awareness of dwarfism.

<i>The Fabulous Baker Boys</i> 1989 film by Steve Kloves

The Fabulous Baker Boys is a 1989 American romantic comedy drama musical film written and directed by Steve Kloves. The film follows a piano act consisting of two brothers, who hire an attractive female singer to help revive their waning career. After a period of success, complications ensue when the younger brother develops romantic feelings for the singer. Brothers Jeff Bridges and Beau Bridges star as the eponymous Baker Boys, while Michelle Pfeiffer plays lounge singer Susie Diamond.

<i>Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird</i> 1985 feature film featuring Sesame Street characters

Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird is a 1985 American musical road comedy film directed by Ken Kwapis and written by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss. Based on the children's television series Sesame Street created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett, it was the first theatrical feature-length Sesame Street film. It stars Muppet performers Caroll Spinney, Jim Henson and Frank Oz alongside Sandra Bernhard, John Candy, Chevy Chase, Joe Flaherty, Waylon Jennings, and Dave Thomas with Sesame Street regulars Linda Bove, Emilio Delgado, Loretta Long, Sonia Manzano, Bob McGrath, Roscoe Orman, Alaina Reed, and Kermit Love in supporting roles and the voices of Laraine Newman, Brian Hohlfeld, Cathy Silvers, Eddie Deezen, and Sally Kellerman.

<i>The First Wives Club</i> 1996 film by Hugh Wilson

The First Wives Club is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Hugh Wilson, based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Olivia Goldsmith. The film stars Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton as three divorcées who seek retribution on their ex-husbands for having left them for younger women. The supporting cast comprises Stockard Channing as Cynthia; Dan Hedaya, Victor Garber, and Stephen Collins as the three leads' ex-husbands; and Sarah Jessica Parker, Elizabeth Berkley, and Marcia Gay Harden as their respective lovers. Supporting roles are played by Maggie Smith, Bronson Pinchot, Rob Reiner, Eileen Heckart, Philip Bosco, and Timothy Olyphant in his feature film debut; cameo appearances include Gloria Steinem, Ed Koch, Kathie Lee Gifford, and Ivana Trump.

<i>Blacula</i> 1972 film by William Crain

Blacula is a 1972 American blaxploitation horror film directed by William Crain. It stars William Marshall in the title role about an 18th-century African prince named Mamuwalde, who is turned into a vampire by Count Dracula in the Count's castle in Transylvania in the year 1780 after Dracula refuses to help Mamuwalde suppress the slave trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoe Slater</span> Fictional character in BBC soap opera

Zoe Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michelle Ryan. She made her first appearance on 18 September 2000. Zoe arrives in Walford along with her father, Charlie, sisters Kat, Lynne, Little Mo, and grandmother Big Mo.

<i>The Basketball Diaries</i> (film) 1995 film by Scott Kalvert

The Basketball Diaries is a 1995 American biographical crime drama film. The movie deals with drug addiction and its unfavorable outcome in lives of common people. Directed by Scott Kalvert in his feature directorial debut and based on an autobiographical novel by the same name written by Jim Carroll. It tells the story of Carroll's teenage years as a promising high school basketball player and writer who develops an addiction to heroin. Distributed by New Line Cinema, The Basketball Diaries stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Carroll, along with Bruno Kirby, Lorraine Bracco, Ernie Hudson, Patrick McGaw, James Madio, Michael Imperioli, and Mark Wahlberg in supporting roles.

<i>Curtains</i> (musical) Musical

Curtains is a musical mystery comedy with a book by Rupert Holmes, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and music by John Kander, with additional lyrics by Kander and Holmes.

<i>Death at a Funeral</i> (2007 film) 2007 British film

Death at a Funeral is a 2007 black comedy film directed by Frank Oz. The screenplay by Dean Craig focuses on a family attempting to resolve a variety of problems when they attend the funeral of the patriarch.

<i>Get Low</i> (film) 2010 American drama film

Get Low is a 2009 drama film directed by Aaron Schneider, and written by Chris Provenzano and C. Gaby Mitchell. It tells the story of a Tennessee hermit in the 1930s who throws his own funeral party while still alive. The film stars Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek and Lucas Black. Duvall was awarded the Hollywood Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his lead performance.

Lighthouse (<i>Lost</i>) 5th episode of the 6th season of Lost

"Lighthouse" is the fifth television episode of the American Broadcasting Company's sixth season of the serial drama television series Lost and 108th episode overall. The episode aired on February 23, 2010, on ABC in the United States and 2 hours earlier on A in Canada due to the 2010 Winter Olympics. The episode was written by showrunners and executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse and was directed by Jack Bender. Jack Shephard is the character centered on this episode.

Sundown (<i>Lost</i>) 6th episode of the 6th season of Lost

"Sundown" is the sixth television episode of the American Broadcasting Company's sixth season of the serial drama television series Lost and 109th episode overall. The episode aired on March 2, 2010, on ABC in the United States. The episode was written by co-executive producer Paul Zbyszewski and story editor Graham Roland and directed by Bobby Roth. Sayid Jarrah is the character the episode is centered on.

<i>Shanghai Chest</i> 1948 film by William Beaudine

Shanghai Chest is a 1948 American mystery film directed by William Beaudine and featuring Roland Winters in his third appearance as Charlie Chan.

<i>ParaNorman</i> 2012 stop-motion animated film

ParaNorman is a 2012 American animated comedy horror film directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler, and written by Butler. Produced by Laika, the film stars the voices of Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jodelle Ferland, Bernard Hill, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, Elaine Stritch, Tempestt Bledsoe, Alex Borstein, and John Goodman. It is the first stop-motion film to use a 3-D color printer to create character faces, and only the second to be shot in 3-D. In the film, Norman Babcock, a young boy who can communicate with ghosts, is given the task of ending a 300-year-old witch's curse on his Massachusetts town.

<i>Triple 9</i> 2016 American film

Triple 9 is a 2016 American heist action thriller film directed by John Hillcoat and written by Matt Cook. The film stars an ensemble cast featuring Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Aaron Paul, Clifton Collins Jr., Norman Reedus, Teresa Palmer, Michael K. Williams, Gal Gadot, Woody Harrelson, and Kate Winslet.

<i>Fathers and Daughters</i> 2015 drama film by Gabriele Muccino

Fathers and Daughters is a 2015 drama film directed by Gabriele Muccino, written by Brad Desch, and starring Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, and Kylie Rogers. The film received mostly negative reviews from critics. It grossed over $5.1 million against a $22.4 million production budget.

<i>Hello, My Name Is Doris</i> 2015 film by Michael Showalter

Hello, My Name Is Doris is a 2015 American coming-of-age romantic comedy film directed by Michael Showalter from a screenplay by Laura Terruso and Showalter, about a woman in her 60s who tries to act on her attraction to a younger co-worker. It stars Sally Field in the title role, alongside Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Stephen Root, Elizabeth Reaser, Natasha Lyonne and Tyne Daly.

<i>Bloodsucking Bastards</i> 2015 American film

Bloodsucking Bastards is a 2015 American comedy horror film directed by Brian James O'Connell, written by Ryan Mitts and Dr. God, O'Connell's comedy group. The film stars Fran Kranz, Pedro Pascal, Emma Fitzpatrick, and Joey Kern. The film was limited released on September 4, 2015, and through video on demand by Scream Factory.

<i>Wicked</i> (2024 film) Upcoming film by Jon M. Chu

Wicked is a 2024 American epic musical fantasy film directed by Jon M. Chu, and written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox. It is the first of a two-part film adaptation of the acclaimed stage musical of the same name by Stephen Schwartz and Holzman, which in turn was based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Gregory Maguire and characters from L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The film stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera, with Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle, and Peter Dinklage in supporting roles. Set in the Land of Oz, largely before Dorothy Gale's arrival from Kansas, the plot covers the events of the musical's first act, following green-skinned Elphaba's studies at Shiz University and the beginning of her path to ultimately becoming the Wicked Witch of the West, alongside an unlikely friendship with a classmate who later becomes Glinda the Good Witch of the North.

<i>Teen Wolf: The Movie</i> 2023 American supernatural thriller film

Teen Wolf: The Movie is a 2023 American supernatural thriller drama film directed by Russell Mulcahy and written by Jeff Davis. The film is the fifth installment in the franchise, and is a continuation of the MTV series Teen Wolf. The movie includes most of the cast reprising their roles, including Tyler Posey, Crystal Reed, Tyler Hoechlin, Holland Roden, Colton Haynes, Shelley Hennig, Dylan Sprayberry, Linden Ashby, Melissa Ponzio, and JR Bourne. It follows werewolf Scott McCall (Posey) as he protects his California town from an old threat.

References

  1. 1 2 "Death at a Funeral (2010)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  2. ↑ "DEATH AT A FUNERAL (15)". Columbia Pictures . British Board of Film Classification. April 23, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Death at a Funeral". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on August 4, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  4. ↑ Fritz, Ben (April 18, 2010). "First look: Soft box-office start for 'Kick-Ass,' which is vying for No. 1 with 'Dragon'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Death at a Funeral (2010)". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Death at a Funeral Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Death at a Funeral Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Find CinemaScore" (Type "Death at a Funeral" in the search box). CinemaScore . Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  9. ↑ Ebert, Roger. Death at a Funeral Archived April 18, 2010, at the Wayback Machine . Chicago Sun-Times (April 14, 2010). Retrieved April 30, 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.