Alan Tudyk, Andy Nyman, Daisy Donovan

A dignified send-off for a loved one erupts into uproarious chaos when romance, jealousy, in-laws, hallucinogens, dark secrets, life-long yearnings and a spot of bold blackmail all collide in the irre...( read more  read more... )verent British comedy "Death at a Funeral." Directed by Frank Oz ("Bowfinger," "In & Out") and featuring a cast made up of the cream of Britain's crop, the film mischievously explores what happens on the day when a typically divided family is finally forced to come to terms with each other's - bad behavior, outrageous faults, skeletons in the closet and all. On the morning of their father's funeral, the family and friends of the deceased each arrive with his or her own roiling anxieties. Son Daniel (Matthew Macfayden) knows he will have to face his flirty, blow-hard, famous-novelist brother Robert (Rupert Graves) who's just flown in from New York, not to mention the promises of a new life he's made to his wife Jane (Keely Hawes). Meanwhile, Daniel's cousin Martha (Daisy Donovan) and her dependable new fiance 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 accidentally ingests a designer drug en route to the service, leaving him prone to uncontrollable bouts of delirium and nudity in front of his potential in-laws. Then comes the real shocker: a mysterious guest (Peter Dinklage) who threatens to unveil an earth-shattering family secret. As riotous mayhem and unfortunate mishaps ensue on every front, it is now up to the two brothers to hide the truth from their family and friends and figure out how to not only bury their dearly beloved, but the secret he's been keeping.

Flixster Users

79% liked it

54,556 ratings

Critics

63% liked it

119 critics

R, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Frank Oz

Release Date: August 17, 2007

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DVD Release Date: February 26, 2008

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Stats: 11,455 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (11,455)


  • September 15, 2009
    Absolutely hilarious British comedy at it's best. It's an over-the-top farce, but grounded in reality. Things just keep going that one step further as the belly laughs continue to get louder. The performances are perfect, as no one plays it for laughs, it's the dry wit that works...( read more). I wonder if Martin Lawrence and Chris Rock will have such subtlety in the remake. There's a lot here you would have seen before, but never has it been done so well. From Tudyk's painfully fantastic drugged up fiance, to Nyman showing how to act out a "poo on fingers" scene. There isn't a weak link here, nor an unfunny minute. There's just too much to praise and just needs to be watched.
  • July 27, 2009
    Review to come.
  • April 3, 2009
    "All I wanted to do today was to give him a dignified send-off. Is that really so much to ask?"

    This British gem, directed by Yoda aka Frank Oz, was a genuine proof of that, once in a while, a film can come out of nowhere and make you laugh so much that it actually hurts.

    The s...( read more)tory is funny, the subject may not be but "Death at a Funeral" will surely deliver some insane scenes. There is not a single dull moment in the film. There's a lot of various characters but basically everything evolves around a selected few.

    The acting is very good with many really hilarious performances. Peter Dinklage once again steals the show. I've been somewhat of a fan of his ever since I saw his wonderful portrayal in "The Station Agent".

    If you're into dark (British) humor, you'll probably like the movie just as much as I did. I recommend that you go and see "Death at a Funeral" now before the US remake. Don't we just hate remakes? The question is once again, why try to do a remake of something that is already that good? Go figure and go see it!
  • February 14, 2009
    Amusing. Not something I would have wanted to watch on the big screen but it was a great watch for a DVD evening.
  • November 27, 2008
    A relentlessly absurd but amusing skit enacted by a funny ensemble. It amounts to nothing more than an enjoyable hour and a half, but there is nothing wrong with that.
  • November 18, 2009
    Alan Tudyk, the guy on "Valium", was quite hysterical! I love funny situational comedies, and this was a pretty good one.
  • November 17, 2009
    A laugh out loud riot. A little ridiculous at times, but a very british comedy.
  • November 15, 2009
    One of the most unexpectedly funny movies I've seen with a lot of laugh out loud moments.
  • November 6, 2009
    Che sia ormai troppo abituata all'umorismo americano per non apprezzare/capire quello inglese? Niente di che.
  • November 5, 2009
    The previews were more funnier then the actual movie

Critic Reviews


September 1, 2007
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Death at a Funeral may be the funniest movie ever set in such a deadly serious setting. full review

August 20, 2007
Kyle Smith, New York Post

If, like me, you ever thought the supply of British comic talent was unlimited, here's surprisingly convincing evidence to the contrary. full review

August 20, 2007
Marcy Dermansky, About.com

There's no time to catch your breath; Death at a Funeral is that funny. full review

August 17, 2007
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Even at a brisk 90 minutes, though, the show begins to feel like a memorial that has dragged on too long. Comedy plus bad timing equals disappointment. full review

August 17, 2007
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Death builds slowly and inexorably to a comic explosion that's just too good -- too insanely, impossibly mortifying -- to spoil here. full review

August 17, 2007
Pete Hammond, Maxim

A fast, furious and riotously funny british farce in the tradition of Monty Python and Peter Sellers. full review

August 17, 2007
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Death at a Funeral finds its comedy in the peculiar human trait of being most tempted to laugh when we're absolutely not supposed to. full review

August 16, 2007
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

A well-crafted British farce -- albeit one with an American director, Frank Oz, working the controls - this throwback to the haughty high jinks of vintage Ealing comedies begins with an obvious, but e... full review

August 13, 2007
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

Death at a Funeral is a dark British farce whose conventionality should not be held against it -- old-fashioned farces are murder to bring off. full review

View more Death at a Funeral reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • GymNetic25
    April 22, 2008
    "She was the most beautiful girl in the village...she'd walk into a room...and everyone's eyes would look at her...everyone wanted to f$@! her." LOL!! That was the best part in this surprisingly witty British comedy. This contains your standard British banter with a few surprises thrown in. The best character by far was "Uncle Alfie" the king of all wit and grumpiness. The film itself had a great cast of characters and was light and entertaining all the way through.
    3 1/2 stars

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Death at a Funeral Trivia


  • An incurable romantic, terrified of commitment and frightened to express his true feelings, falls for an enigmatic American beauty he only seems to meet on social occasions and it takes the sudden death of a close friend to give him the courage at long last to make his move ???  Answer »
  • Kris Marshall and Daisy Donovan both star in the film "Death at a Funeral". This was not the first time they worked together. What television show did they both appear on?  Answer »
  • in the movie 'Death at a Funeral', what bottle was the hallucinative drugs in?  Answer »
  • Who was in both "Pride and Prejudice" and "Death at a funeral"?  Answer »

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