The British are known for their dry sense of humor, but this new comedy from across the pond is about as broad as they come. Death at a Funeral is full of tired, sitcom-level gags, material that would seem outdated on a mildly risqué network TV show, let alone in an allegedly bawdy R-rated movie. And despite its pretensions toward darkness and the uncomfortable humor of family dysfunction, the movie ends by wrapping up every plotline with a nice little bow; nothing bad actually happens, and everyone lives happily ever after.
Well, except the dead guy whose funeral is the film’s inciting incident. His whole family gathers to mourn him, including his sons, estranged brothers Daniel (MacFadyen) and Robert (Graves), along with various aunts, uncles, cousins and hangers-on, all of whom end up dealing with contrived high jinks in one way or another. This is the kind of movie in which it’s only a matter of time before the coffin is comically toppled and the body rolls out, to the horror of the grieving relatives and the supposed delight of the audience.
It’s the kind of movie not content merely to have one character accidentally ingest hallucinogens and act like some little kid’s idea of what it’s like to be on drugs (at least until he’s required to be lucid for a tender heart-to-heart with his fiancée)—it’ll repeat that bit with two other characters and manage to stretch it throughout the meager running time. It’s got gay jokes, toilet humor and a raunchy old guy. Every single joke is hammered home by the oppressively wacky score, and while the British accents offer a veneer of classiness, they can’t hide the stupidity of the writing or the one-dimensional nature of the characters.
American director Oz has been behind some very funny farces, including What About Bob? and Bowfinger, but this movie lacks the inventiveness of his best work. It’s as lifeless as its central corpse, and deserves to be swiftly put out of its misery.
Death at a Funeral
* 1/2
Matthew MacFayden, Rupert Graves, Daisy Donovan, Peter Dinklage.
Directed by Frank Oz
Rated R
Opens Friday