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Features: DVD
Academy Award-winner Christopher Walken (Best Supporting Actor, The Deer Hunter, 1978; Wedding Crashers) stars with Oscar nominees Naomi Watts (Best Actress, 21 Grams, 2003; King Kong), and Brenda Blethyn (Best Supporting Actress, Little Voice, 1998; Beyond the Sea) in this devilish, offbeat comedy that follows the crowd-pleasing tradition of Waking Ned Devine. Stuck in a marriage that's killing her, Betty (Blethyn) thinks the only way to break from her two-timing scoundrel of a husband is to fake her own death! With the help of her rekindled old flame, the local undertaker (Alfred Molina--Chocolat, Frida), a quiet funeral is planned down to the smallest detail. But nothing goes as planned when a flamboyant competing funeral director (Walken) jumps in determined to give Betty a send-off no one will ever forget!
Editor's Note
An all-star cast graces this enjoyable comedy set in the Welsh countryside, where Boris Plotz (Alfred Molina, THE DA VINCI CODE) has abandoned his childhood dreams of becoming a dancer and marrying Betty (Brenda Blethyn, BEYOND THE SEA, PRIDE & PREJUDICE). Instead, he has become an undertaker, which causes his path to cross Betty's once again when she must bury her mother-in-law. Their romance reignites, and the pair decides to stage Betty's death to run away together. Meanwhile, Plotz's competition in the funeral business, Frank Featherbed (Christopher Walken, DOMINO, SUICIDE KINGS) gears up his new plan to revolutionize the industry: themed funerals. Naomi Watts (21 GRAMS, GODZILLA) and Jerry Springer co-star.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | The Fun In Funeral: The Making Of Undertaking Betty |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Buena Vista |
| Release Date: 3/7/2006 |
| Running Time: 89 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2002 | | Catalog ID: 5022603 | | UPC: 00786936700985 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: Spanish | | Available Audio Tracks: English, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | FilmInk 8 of 10
A superlative cast make this macabre yet slapstick romantic comedy a lot of fun. In a small Welsh town, housewife Betty (Brenda Blethyn) and undertaker Boris (Alfred Molina) try to ignore their unrequited love for each other, kept apart by Blethyn's "for better or for worse" dud marriage to the slimy town mayor, played by Robert Pugh. Life plods along as normal until the mayor's mother chokes to death, and Boris and Betty are brought together over the funeral arrangements. Determined to follow their hearts but not upset anyone in the process, they plan to fake Betty's death and elope to the South Pacific on a luxury cruise ship. Things get complicated when the mayor and his mistress, Meredith (Naomi Watts), concoct a simultaneous plan to murder Betty, collect on her life insurance and inherit her home and considerable bank account. All the while, Frank Featherbed (Christopher Walken) is trying to corner the town's funeral market with outrageous, Las Vegas-style funerals replete with tap dancing, sequins and two-for-the-price-of-one specials. Brenda Blethyn and Alfred Molina are gold-class actors and in this film they're appropriately funny and likeable. We care about what happens to their characters, even though we sense that the leads knocked this movie off in their spare time. Watts, murderous in red suspenders and blonde corkscrew curls, is more confident than ever, but the best is Walken, another great actor and one who can't not be chilling and malevolent even when he's doing comedy. - Mark Adnum
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