Death at a Funeral (2007 film)
| Death at a Funeral | |
|---|---|
| File:Death at a funeral.jpg Promotional poster for Death at a Funeral | |
| Directed by | Frank Oz |
| Written by | Dean Craig |
| Starring | Ewen Bremner Peter Dinklage Matthew Macfadyen Kris Marshall Alan Tudyk |
| Cinematography | Oliver Curtis |
| Music by | Murray Gold |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release dates | August 17, 2007 |
Running time | 90 min. |
| Countries | Germany United States (filmed in United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Death at a Funeral is a 2007 black comedy film directed by Frank Oz and written by Dean Craig. Matthew Macfadyen, Rupert Graves, Alan Tudyk and Peter Dinklage star. The plot follows members of a dysfunctional family at the funeral of the deceased patriarch, each with his or her own anxieties. Problems at the funeral lead to attempts at solutions.
Plot Summary
A coffin is transported from the mortuary to a family home in the English country while the credits role. Daniel (Matthew Macfadyen) opens the coffin for a last look, the wrong person is inside. The drivers, embarrassedly, go back and bring the correct one.
Daniel intends to buy himself and his wife Jane (Keeley Hawes) a flat and start a new life away from his Mother. All was on schedule until his father died. Left alone to finance the funeral when his brother Robert (Rupert Graves), a famous pop-novelist 'across the pond' in New York, would rather fly first-class than chip in for the funeral, Daniel struggles to write an appropriate eulogy.
Meanwhile, Daniel's cousin Martha (Daisy Donovan) and her fiancé Simon (Alan Tudyk) are desperate to make a good impression on Martha's uptight father. A plan that literally goes out the window when Simon, thinking he was taking valium, ingests a designer hallucinogenic drug, accidentally supplied by Martha's brother Troy, a pharmacology student.
A mysterious guest, a dwarf, Peter (Peter Dinklage) arrives seeking an audience with Daniel. Daniel though, is too busy at the moment.
The service begins, but Simon is obsessed by the idea that he can hear scratching noises on the inside of the coffin. He tips it over so that the body rolls out at the feet of the widow. While the crisis is being dealt with, Martha drags Simon outside, where her father attempts to forbid her from marrying him. Simon, now realizing what has happened to him, locks himself in the upstairs bathroom. The drugs overcome him however, and Simon steps out of the window to a perch on the roof of the family home. He is nude. Simon threatens to jump until Martha tells him she is pregnant with his child.
While most of the guests are caught up in Simon's apparent insanity, Peter manages to get Daniel and Robert in a private meeting. He reveals to the brothers that he was their father's lover. He has the photos to prove it. Peter uses this as a bargaining chip to secure a share of the money doled out in the will. The brothers panic and bind and gag Peter. Peter becomes hyperactive and jumps repeatedly on the sofa, before falling and smashing a glass coffee table with his head. Unresponsive, they pronounce him dead and think of ways to get rid of the body.
With few options, the brothers arrange for a distraction and put Peter into the coffin with their father. Shortly into Daniel's awkward eulogy, Peter springs from coffin. The compromising photographs fall out of Peter's pocket for all to see. Before total chaos ensues, Daniel demands everyone stay calm and shouts that his father, was a good man, though not perfect. His funeral reflected this. Daniel is able to give his father the eulogy he was unable to write earlier, and that everyone expected, hoped, Robert would deliver.
Cast
- Matthew Macfadyen - Daniel
- Rupert Graves - Robert
- Peter Dinklage - Peter
- Alan Tudyk - Simon
- Daisy Donovan - Martha
- Peter Vaughan - Uncle Alfie
- Kris Marshall - Troy
- Andy Nyman - Howard
- Jane Asher - Sandra
- Ewen Bremner - Justin
- Keeley Hawes - Jane
Release
The film, was released in North America on August 17 2007. It was released in Australia on October 11 2007 and went on to become one of the year's biggest success stories making over $14 million, remaining in the top 20 for 16 weeks. It was number one at the Australian box office in its second, fourth, and fifth weeks, and rarely dropped more than 20% from week-to-week. In its third week, though it slipped to second place (attributed to the debut of Saw IV), it increased its box office earnings. It repeated this feat the following week.
Reception
The film received mostly favorable reviews. Roger Ebert gave the film 3 stars and said it "...finds its comedy in the peculiar human trait of being most tempted to laugh when we're absolutely not supposed to." Death at a Funeral is Certified Fresh at Rotten Tomatoes with a 62% rating.