| | | Cinemax Audience Award - U.S. Comedy Arts Festival (2007). HBO Audience Award - Best Narrative Feature - Provincetown International Film Festival (2007).
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, Pan and Scan (TV Format), Aspect Ratio 1.33:1, English, Spanish, Subtitled, Dubbed, Sensormatic
From acclaimed director Frank Oz (In & Out, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) comes "a fast, furious and riotously funny farce" (Maxim) that'll have you dying with laughter!As the mourners and guests at a British country manor struggle valiantly to "keep a stiff upper lip," a dignified ceremony devolves into a hilarious, no-holds-barred debacle of misplaced cadavers, indecent exposure, and shocking family secrets. Packed with extras including audio commentaries and an uproarious gag reel, Death at a Funeral blows the lid off the proverbial coffin as "the film's delicious comic flourishes...sight gags, slapstick, flawless timing...are served up by an outstanding cast" (O, The Oprah Magazine).
"Uproariously funny!" Claudia Puig, USA Today
"A comedy to die for!" Gene Shalit, Today
"Insanely funny!" Richard Schickel, Time
"...simultaneously sophisticated, supremely silly and very dark." Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
"...lethal farce, combining hints of "The Lavender Hill Mob," doses of Joe Orton and a smidgen of the Farrelly brothers' scatology..." Sid Smith, Chicago Tribune
Editor's Note
Written by Dean Craig and directed by comedic veteran Frank Oz, DEATH AT A FUNERAL finds a well-to-do British family attempting to bury their patriarch amidst a backdrop of secrets, revelations, rivalries, and illicit pharmaceuticals. While the dutiful Daniel (Matthew MacFadyen) stoically contends with major roadblocks in planning his father's funeral, including being presented with the wrong body, others connected with the family have catastrophes of their own, including the anxious Simon (Alan Tudyk), who is engaged to Martha (Daisy Donovan), and mistakenly takes a hallucinogen to calm his nerves. Lurking in the background is a mysterious stranger (Peter Dinklage) who threatens to send the chaotic proceedings over the brink. A charming mix of high- and lowbrow humor, DEATH AT A FUNERAL is a lively farce that makes the most of its hijinks-filled script and topnotch cast. In addition to excellent performances by MacFadyen (PRIDE & PREJUDICE) and Tudyk (SERENITY), the film features fine turns by Donovan, Andy Nyman, and former Swinging London sweetheart Jane Asher. Easily Oz's best movie since the giddily silly BOWFINGER, DEATH showcases the director's knack for working with large ensembles, and will appeal to fans of his earlier romp IN & OUT, as well as to aficionados of biting British comedy.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Audio: English, Spanish Dolby Digital Stereo | | Dubbed: Spanish | | Includes Both Widescreen & Full Screen Versions Of The Film! | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, Spanish |
| Entertainment Reviews
 | Death at a Funeral - DVD Review By: David Thomas - filmcritic.com DVD Reviews Published on: 2/15/2008 5:27 PM | |
Death at a Funeral sees Oz returning quite comfortably to comedy without all the trappings of an A-list cast. It sees him returning to ensemble comedy for the first time since The Muppets Take Manhattan. And while Matthew MacFayden's Daniel may not be Kermit the Frog (although they both end up herding goofy supporting characters), Death at a Funeral is no less satisfying for its trouble – though I don't remember Fozzy Bear ever wandering around naked and tripping on a rooftop.
...read the full review |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: TCFHE/MGM |
| Release Date: 6/16/2009 |
| Running Time: 91 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2007 | | Catalog ID: 110028 | | UPC: 00883904100287 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen/Standard 1.85:1/1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew | Andy Nyman | | Ewen Bremner | | Keeley Hawes | | Matthew Macfadyen | | Andy Tomlinson - Art Director | | Beverley Mills - Editor | | Dean Craig - Writer | | Frank Oz - Director | | Matthew Robinson - Art Director | | Michael Howells - Production Designer | | Murray Gold - Original Music By | | Oliver Curtis - Cinematographer | | Philip Elway - Executive Producer | | Sidney Kimmel - Producer |
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| | Professional Reviews | Box Office
"[D]irector Frank Oz comes back strong with this absolutely uproarious British comedy of no manners." 06/22/2007 p.59USA Today
3.5 stars out of 4 -- "The lack of propriety and solemnity is precisely what makes this comic farce so uproariously funny." 08/17/2007 p.10D Sight and Sound
"Macfadyen crumples very endearingly as his character succumbs to the tide of mishaps, and there are showreel moments too for Kris Marshall..." 11/01/2007 p.54 Total Film
3 stars out of 5 -- "Frank Oz's frantic farce tickles thanks to a rapid-fire stream of slapstick gags and gallows humour." 11/01/2007 p.64 Empire
3 stars out of 5 -- "Impeccable comic timing ensures the gags flow fast, while some delightfully ludicrous predicaments keep things fresh." 10/19/2007 p.89 Los Angeles Times
"DEATH AT A FUNERAL is a lethal farce, combining hints of THE LAVENDER HILL MOB, doses of Joe Orton and a smidgen of the Farrelly brothers' scatology in its mix." 08/17/2007 ReelViews 8 of 10
Despite being directed by a Yank, Death at a Funeral has a very British flavour. In fact, at times it reminded me of nothing less than an extended episode of Fawlty Towers, minus the manic genius of John Cleese. The film begins slowly, with occasional low-key laughs widely spread. However, it then does something too few comedies achieve: it builds momentum. The closer we get to the end credits, the faster and more furious the jokes come, until they're tumbling all over one another. The film's climax is nothing short of hilarious. And Death at a Funeral doesn't discriminate when it comes to the type of humor it embraces it. Everything is in there, from physical hijinks to verbal repartee to naked man jokes to drugs and gross-out stuff...Director Frank Oz's credentials as the helmsman of funny movies are well established - he steered such productions as What About Bob?, In & Out, and Bowfinger. Improbably, this is a perfect choice for him, and the result ends up being a fusion of his off-kilter style and screenwriter Dean Craig's zaniness. Embarrassment may be the soil of British comedy, but the cringe-inducing fertilizer is all American. Death at a Funeral is flawed, but I'm willing to forgive a lot of flaws when a movie makes me laugh as much as this one. - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
Frank Oz's "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. Not that all of his characters are very amused. His story begins with the delivery of a casket to the British home of the mourning widow (Jane Asher), who lives with her son Daniel (Matthew Macfadyen) and his wife Jane (Keeley Hawes)...Not long after, a second casket is delivered, and we're off, and luckily we're all that's off...Every funeral has an uninvited guest, often a mislaid spouse, angry creditor, police detective or child not recorded in the family Bible. This funeral has Peter Dinklage (as Peter), who is becoming my favorite go-to actor for any movie that needs someone to go to. Like Rosie Perez, Danny De Vito, Queen Latifah or Christopher Walken, he has that ability to make you brighten up and take notice, because with such a person on the screen something interesting is bound to happen...The movie is part farce (unplanned entrances and exits), part slapstick (misbehavior of corpses) and part just plain wacky eccentricity. I think the ideal way to see it would be to gather your most dour and disapproving relatives and treat them to a night at the cinema. If they are over a certain age, and you have ever seen Polident in their bathrooms, be sure to supply them with licorice ropes. - Roger Ebert
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