Directed by Neil LaBute. Starring Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Danny Glover, James Marsden, Luke Wilson, Peter Dinklage, Loretta Devine, Columbus Short 15A cert, gen release, 92 minutes
Despite an appealing central performance by Chris Rock, this remake of a British film hardly anyone remembers emerges as stale beer, writes JOE GRIFFIN
AS YOU might have already heard, Death at a Funeralis a remake of a reasonably amusing British film from 2007.
The very notion of a remake is a damning indictment of Hollywood’s lack of originality. And Neil LaBute, author and director of numerous incendiary plays and films about the perils of relationships, may not have been an ideal choice for a comedy farce with a dose of sentimentality. But leaving those considerations aside, does the film work in its own right? Well, not entirely.
Heading a mostly black cast, Chris Rock takes the lead from Matthew Macfadyen. As we meet Aaron (Rock), he’s en route to his father’s funeral.
Aaron is about to face an eventful day: His selfish brother (Martin Lawrence) may not pay his half of the funeral costs; his aspiring drug-dealer cousin (Columbus Short) has accidentally intoxicated a funeral attendant (James Marsden). Worst of all, a mysterious stranger (Peter Dinklage) has blackmail in mind.
As you can see, Death at a Funeral2.0 has a more-than competent cast. Rock is surprisingly effective in a relatively straight role, and his smart-aleck asides are among the film's highlights. And Dinklage, the only actor from the original film to return, is in fine form.
But, by moving the comedy Stateside, LaBute has jettisoned key ingredients in the original’s moderate success; the snobbery, reservation and embarrassment that often comprise British comedies. Without such an emphasis on manners and class, the US version follows the bigger-is-funnier school of humour, with intrusive music and broad performances.
The end result has moments of brightness, but overall is a surprisingly flat combination of slapstick and schmaltz. Or, to put it a more alliterative way, farce minus finesse feels forced.
