This absolutely outstanding film is an total delight.
There were lots of big laugh-out-loud scenes, great humour, wit and charm.
LL Cool J absolutely walks away with the film in his amazing acting job as the son of the man that no one likes but they have all come together to bury.
As my friends and family will tell you, I have always had a not-so-secret crush on Whoopi Goldberg. This film reinforces that crush she is the rock in the maelstrom of insanity that surrounds the burial of her much-despised husband.
The characters are quietly complex especially LL Cool J's character who has demons that pursue him, including the inability to mourn the father that he disliked so much.
Most of the humour is fairly subtle and cerebral though there is one absolutely great scene that slides into bathroom humour about the affect of Mexican food on the minister (Cedric the Entertainer) that officiates at the funeral.
This is a family story it could be anyone's family. It is irrelevant that the family is African American: this family crosses all colour lines. They behave badly at times but they are there for each other in a way that all families should be but seldom are.
You would think that with Toni Braxton in the film any singing would be done by her not so. There is a very nice 3 woman church choir that includes the Saturday Night Live alum, Ellen Cleghorn. The song at the funeral is sung by Jada Pinkett Smith and she does a great job.
In checking viewer votes there were almost as many `1' votes as there were `10s'
I think that some people just didn't get it. Their loss.
