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‘Death at a Funeral' brings nostalgic laughter

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I am not a big fan of funerals, but then who is? Typically there is little at which to laugh, although I remember when attending my grandmother's funeral, my younger brother and I - both adults at the time - began to laugh uncontrollably at something the minister said to my then very young son and the condition only worsened when my aunt tried to comfort us because she thought we were sobbing. Each time we composed ourselves, one or the other of us would think of the situation and it would begin all over again. It was horrible, really - mortifying. As I take this trip down memory lane, I realize that I am not writing my review. It is just that director Frank Oz and screenwriter Dean Craig's British comedy “Death at a Funeral” makes what happened with my brother and me seem solemn and normal. They offer audiences a delightfully crisp, clever comedy about death and deceit.

It is apparent at the onset that nothing will go right when Daniel (Matthew Macfadyen) looks down into his father's coffin - and the corpse is not that of his beloved dad. His younger brother Robert (Rupert Graves), a cocky writer who lives in New York, offers little assistance. Instead, he flirts with pretty mourners and pleads poverty when asked to pay for his share of the interment. The brothers' cousin Martha (Daisy Donovan) brings her new fiancé Simon (a wonderfully funny Alan Tudyk), a nervous wreck whom she accidentally doses with a potent hallucinogen that her brother has cooked up and that she mistakes for Valium. And then there is a strange little man in a leather jacket (an incredibly comical Peter Dinklage) who has a clandestine plan in the works. The unwelcome and unfamiliar little person offers condolences first, then corners Daniel and reveals compromising pictures of himself and dear, dead dad. Things go from bad to worse when wheelchair-bound Uncle Alfie (Peter Vaughan) develops intestinal problems.

Tudyk, an American comedian known for his work on the TV show “Firefly” and from the film “A Knight's Tale,” nearly steals the show. His use of physical comedy and flabbergasting facial expressions ranges from downright hysterical to over-the-top wild. He freaks because he believes he sees the coffin move, he can't fathom his own face in the bathroom mirror and he strips naked and scales the roof - all to the glee of guests and the horror of Martha's stodgy father. Dinklage, too, is incredibly funny, but is far more dry.

Truthfully, the entire ensemble scores laughs. There is the ugly guy (Ewen Bremner) who won't stop hitting on Martha even when she flat-out says no, the bereaved widow who fluctuates between trying to appear mournful and looking ravishingly beautiful, the overbearing father of Martha who detests her betrothed (and now has more reason than ever), the apathetic priest who is more interested in leaving on time than completing the service, the neurotic hypochondriac friend of the family who has the unfortunate task of bringing the aforementioned cantankerous uncle to the funeral and later to the bathroom. Yikes! As ridiculous as it all sounds, it all works, even the tacky, tasteless jokes and gags.

Ultimately, however, under it all lies a great many truths - a family with secrets, dysfunction and, yes, love. When push comes to shove, and it does, the brothers and others come together to try to save the family's name. Many of the characters may be familiar, but isn't that the point of good storytelling? Even with over-the-top humor, a good story will show us what we know about ourselves, let us see the ridiculous in the serious and turn utter chaos into something touching. It is all there in the PG-13-rated “Death at a Funeral.”

Too often films at the Arbor (an art film theater) go unnoticed and stay for a very short time. I am not saying that “Death at a Funeral” is slap-down, gut-bustingly funny, but it does offer some good British humor that borders on absurd.

I liked it and my husband did too - and we have very different tastes. My friend Renee took her boyfriend and they also enjoyed it, so I say it is worth the trip.

I am placing a B+ in my grade book. Enjoy the diversion.

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