Chaos ensues when a man tries to expose a dark secret regarding a recently deceased patriarch of a dysfunctional British family.Chaos ensues when a man tries to expose a dark secret regarding a recently deceased patriarch of a dysfunctional British family.Chaos ensues when a man tries to expose a dark secret regarding a recently deceased patriarch of a dysfunctional British family.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 2 nominations total
Matthew Macfadyen
- Daniel
- (as Matthew MacFadyen)
Paul Buchanan
- Pall Bearer
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
This is the funniest film I've ever seen. Dark comedy and so dry. I've literally watched the film over 50 times.I cry from laughter every time I watch it and i love every single one of the characters. They all bring their own eccentric quirks. I highly reccomend it.
Don't watch the American remake. This is the version to watch, absolutely hilarious. No spoilers- just watch it and treat yourself to some laughs. 8/10.
Who would expect hallucinogenic drugs, homosexual adultery, human waste (literally), nudity, and much more such unexpected surprises in a funeral? I have always been a fan of Frank Oz's work and this time he directs a black comedy about a dysfunctional family (at a funeral). What I enjoyed about it is the different kinds of humour (slapstick, macabre, toilet, metaphorical...) that all fit together. I do not enjoy the overuse of toilet humour (especially the way it has been done in numerous Hollywood summer movies) but here it is within context and the film itself is full of laugh out loud moments. Oz assembles a host of talented actors that include Keeley Hawes, Andy Nyman, Daisy Donovan, Alan Tudyk, Jane Asher, Kris Marshall, Peter Dinklage and Rupert Graves. I did not expect Matthew Macfadyen to pull off comedy and here he was a funny surprise.
The entire film is set during the funeral and what makes this film different from others of its genre is the comedy and the pace is pretty smooth. Even though some of the comedic situations were over the top (in a good way) none of it looked out of place. It's the kind of film that may not appeal to everyone but those who get it will roll on the floor laughing.
I watched it during a tired evening and I thought I wouldn't be able to sit through it because I was so tired (not because I expected the movie to be bad or anything) but the constant laughing got me energized enough throughout. It's just infectiously hilarious!
The entire film is set during the funeral and what makes this film different from others of its genre is the comedy and the pace is pretty smooth. Even though some of the comedic situations were over the top (in a good way) none of it looked out of place. It's the kind of film that may not appeal to everyone but those who get it will roll on the floor laughing.
I watched it during a tired evening and I thought I wouldn't be able to sit through it because I was so tired (not because I expected the movie to be bad or anything) but the constant laughing got me energized enough throughout. It's just infectiously hilarious!
"Death at a Funeral" is a hilarious British black comedy from 2007 starring Matthew MacFadyen, Peter Dinklage, Jane Asher, Alan Tudyk, Kris Marshall, Rupert Graves, and Peter Vaughan.
A family gathers for the patriarch's funeral: his wife (Asher), his son Daniel (MacFadyen) and his wife Jane (Keely Hawes, MacFadyen's real-life wife), and his son Robert (Rupert Graves).
Robert is a well-known author living in a New York City penthouse; Daniel and Jane have been looking after his parents but now are planning to get a flat further away. Daniel and Robert are supposed to split the cost of the funeral, but Robert claims to have no money because it's expensive to keep up his lifestyle. He also won't give the eulogy, though everyone who walks in asks him if he's going to.
Meanwhile, Daniel practices a eulogy but never seems to get past, "My father was an exceptional man." Meanwhile, the funeral home has brought the wrong body and has to return to get the right one.
Daniel and Robert's cousin Martha (Daisy Donovan) is attending the funeral with her boyfriend Simon (Tudyk). When they go to pick up Troy (Marshall), Martha gives the nervous Simon what she thinks is a Valium. It's a hallucinogenic concocted by Troy, who is a pharmacy student.
By the time they get to the wedding, Simon is acting strangely. Not as strangely as he would act later on, but strangely.
Daniel notices a dwarf (Dinklage) at the funeral; the man says he wants to speak with Daniel privately. His name is Peter.
That's all I'll say but the story becomes more and more bizarre and funny, including a hypochondriac with a discoloration on his wrist that he's sure is a dreaded disease, blackmail, nudity, a locked bathroom, and lots of other things.
Very, very entertaining with fine performances, no one going for laughs, just playing the characters. That's really the way to do it.
One of my favorite parts occurs when Robert tries to dismiss the problems brought in by Peter, saying, "Oh, no one even noticed him." "No one noticed him?" Daniel asks. "He's 4'5!" A lovely ending puts the cap on this entertaining film.
A family gathers for the patriarch's funeral: his wife (Asher), his son Daniel (MacFadyen) and his wife Jane (Keely Hawes, MacFadyen's real-life wife), and his son Robert (Rupert Graves).
Robert is a well-known author living in a New York City penthouse; Daniel and Jane have been looking after his parents but now are planning to get a flat further away. Daniel and Robert are supposed to split the cost of the funeral, but Robert claims to have no money because it's expensive to keep up his lifestyle. He also won't give the eulogy, though everyone who walks in asks him if he's going to.
Meanwhile, Daniel practices a eulogy but never seems to get past, "My father was an exceptional man." Meanwhile, the funeral home has brought the wrong body and has to return to get the right one.
Daniel and Robert's cousin Martha (Daisy Donovan) is attending the funeral with her boyfriend Simon (Tudyk). When they go to pick up Troy (Marshall), Martha gives the nervous Simon what she thinks is a Valium. It's a hallucinogenic concocted by Troy, who is a pharmacy student.
By the time they get to the wedding, Simon is acting strangely. Not as strangely as he would act later on, but strangely.
Daniel notices a dwarf (Dinklage) at the funeral; the man says he wants to speak with Daniel privately. His name is Peter.
That's all I'll say but the story becomes more and more bizarre and funny, including a hypochondriac with a discoloration on his wrist that he's sure is a dreaded disease, blackmail, nudity, a locked bathroom, and lots of other things.
Very, very entertaining with fine performances, no one going for laughs, just playing the characters. That's really the way to do it.
One of my favorite parts occurs when Robert tries to dismiss the problems brought in by Peter, saying, "Oh, no one even noticed him." "No one noticed him?" Daniel asks. "He's 4'5!" A lovely ending puts the cap on this entertaining film.
It's been ages since I had such a good time enjoying a movie. While other movies about dysfunctional families are so dramatic and serious, Death at a Funeral makes things brighter and funnier even at a funeral. The characters are not complex, but various - an accidentally drugged men, a hurting widow, a famous writer and his brother who cannot escape the other one's glorious shade, a hypochondric young men, a sever father, a sour old men, a homosexual blackmailer... and much, much chaos. This antithesis between life, with its different forms of manifestation, and death makes Death at a Funeral a juicy mild-black comedy.
Did you know
- TriviaThe actors who played married couple, Daniel (Matthew Macfadyen) and Jane (Keeley Hawes), are husband and wife in real life.
- GoofsWhen Howard emerges from the study grinning, Daniel, Jane and Robert all turn around and stare at him in horror. Except that they wouldn't be able to see him. In the following shot, it is obvious that the view of the study door is obstructed by a wall.
- Crazy creditsThe closing credits give the name of each performer with a blooper shot of them cracking up during filming.
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Un funeral de muerte
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $9,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $8,580,428
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $1,282,973
- Aug 19, 2007
- Gross worldwide
- $46,789,726
- Runtime
- 1h 30m(90 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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