Starring: Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Zoe Saladana, James Marsden, Tracy Rock
Director: Neil LaBute (Nurse Betty, Lakeview Terrace)
Running Time: 1 hr 30 min
Release Date: April 16, 2010
Budget: $21 million
Critics’ Thumbs Up: 49%
“…the best comedy since The Hangover…” Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
“The only death at this funeral was that of a good movie.” Claudia Puig, USA Today
The poor acting and paper thin premise could have led to this comedy’s demise, but Death at a Funeral’s only slightly salvaged due to its constant stream of silly antics. A remake of the 2007 British original, filmgoers are introduced to a dysfunctional, estranged family on the day of the patriarch’s funeral as wild — but sometimes exacerbated — mishaps involving blackmail, rivalries and even acid abound. Amongst the overacting of the big-name cast, Rock stands out with his aptly restrained and empathetic performance. Some occasional great one-liners pop up, but mostly Death suffers because the storyline’s not robust enough for a feature-length film and too many characters make for an unfocused tale.
