What if one fine evening you become a part of a pathetically sad traffic of “namma bangalore”? You have a nagging friend to company you and back of your mind runs a “presentation” that you have to deliver the very next morning. At such moments what can be your savior? For me without a second thought it’s a “good movie” which can refresh me and put back the life in me. I have never been and ardent fan of English comedy movies but I would anytime prefer the worst of them over Bollywood ‘B’ Grade movies which frustrates me more than anything on this mother earth. I chose “Death at a Funeral” over “Anamika” and my well-wishers will be glad that I did.
The title of the movie for the first instant came to me as a mystery movie or a serious movie – but it wasn’t. Penned by Dean Craig, Death at a funeralis brilliant movie from the basket of black comedy. Craig got this idea of writing this movie, when he attended his own grand father funeral and though he was asked not to do certain things which are against the decent mannerism, he ended up doing the same. Frank Oz directed “Death at a Funeral”is a movie about unpredictable, unavoidable, situational coincidences which ruined the serious funeral ceremony at a British family house.
Plot:
As the title suggests movie plot revolves around a funeral. Movie opens with a younger son of the family Daniel, (MATTHEW MACFADYEN) waiting for his dad coffin. Daniel has been and obedient son of the family unlike his elder brother Robert, (RUPERT GRAVES), a writer based in New York. The comedy of errors began when the undertakers deliver the wrong coffin (and body) at Daniel house. Movies moves ahead with the arrival of bunch of frantic characters at the funeral including the “suspicious dwarf” who wanted to share something really serious with Daniel from the moment he enters the movie. In the mid of all the greeting, meetings, sobbing and preparations to deliver ‘eulogy’, appears “hallucinogenic tablets” disguised in a box of valium which bring enough on the plates of Daniel’s family to worry, apart from his “dad’s” funeral. How Daniel family seizes this chaotic situation of “transformed people” because of hallucinogenic tablets and the secret shared by blackmailing midget is worth a watch.
Scriptwriter Dean
without padding up too many things in the scripts kept one prime plot and gave liberty to characters of fooling around. The relatives who are there to pay their consolation to the family will remind you of your own bunch of useless so called “well-wisher” who are there to help but end up creating some or the other mess in our life. Every attendee at the funeral had something to contribute to the nonsensical out of hand situation in their own way. Dean has inter-related the scenes in such a way that you are never left without a giggle on your face. Even though some of the situation looks recurring but it still manages to swell up your glands with laughter.
Every character
in the movie are British actors (were required as well) and they have worked with phenomenal energy make it an out an out comedy. With perfect faces, expression and dialogue delivery you will surely ponder if they were tailored for their role itself. Though each character was important and were actively involved in the script, some of the key characters worth a mention are as follows:
Daniel (Matthew Macfadyen) in the role of sincere son and a budding writer who wants to create a place of his own but couldn’t because he has given priority to his family. Mathew has decently played the role and the scene where he finally delivers the eulogy to his father is the only serious scene in the movie and he has balanced it really well.
Andy Nyman (Howard) a friend of Daniel who played a role of self obsessive person and how his life gets ruined by uncle Alfie tantrums on the funeral day.
Ewen Bremner (Justin) with whom Martha once had a one-night stand, has done a phenomenal job of a nagging lover who is not ready to forget Martha at any cost. His presence on the screen makes you laugh his face expression looks makes you wonder if he is an actor at all.
Daisy Donovan (Martha) in the role of Daniel uncle’s daughter who is deep in love with Simon and commits a suicidal mistake of getting him along to the funeral to impress her dad. The most mentionable scene of Martha is one when she convinces simons on why “He should live” by saying that “she wants him to help her being a mother”.
Alan Tudyk (Simon Smith)has done the most commendable job in the movie and his whole act after swallowing the hallucinogenic tablets is one of his best life time performances. His whole act of the lost guy with his expression making you believe he truly had one pill is worth applause.
Jane Asher (Sandra) in the role of the dead man’s widow has portrayed the perfect British women who even ‘cry’ with manners. Her straight face and witty dialogues will make you wonder if she cracked a joke or someone else did.
Rupert Graves (Robert) of V for vendetta fame, in the role of selfish brother is a famous New York based novelist who is more interested in his own life and goals and doesn’t want to give the eulogy to his father which he is suppose to do.
Peter Dinklage (Peter) in the role of dead man’s friend who walks in with a secret about Daniel father and then gives whole story a new twist. Peter again has done a lucrative job being a dwarf he brings humor to anything he does.
Role of Jane and Uncle Alfiecan be acknowledged as well.
The plus point of the movie is the combination of Dean’s Character’s and OZ direction (who is known as one of the sophisticated comedic instincts). The subtle dialogues and best of the actors, have delivered this movie with perfection. Everyone has a vital role to play and they do it with complete conviction. Humor is not forced anywhere, it’s genuine and comes easy with the scenes.
Moral of the Story:
The whole humor in this black comedy comes from a fact that on a serious occasion like funeral also people fail to segregate their basic desires and goal from the actual life. We have forgotten the difference between URGENT and IMPORTANT, like here a son is busy trying not to be seen as a failure rather than concentrating on a decent send off to his father as a result things happens vice versa when everything at the funeral go to dogs; and a daughter who got her fiancé at the death ceremony to impress his dad, but ultimately ends up disgusting her father when accidently her fiancé eats a hallucinogenic tablet and run naked in the mid of ceremony. Basically the moral of the story is that we as human has become a wanting machine and we have become so mechanical and materialistic that we forget where we are and what will happen to us in the end. “Death” is a strong fact of “Living” and so does “Life” and its important that we live it better and in the happier way rather then running a marathon of “Desire” –
“Tea can do many things dear but it can’t bring back the dead” --- Sandra (Dead Man’s Widow)
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