Movie Preview: Death at a Funeral

One of the more interesting films to be coming out in 2010 is something that no one expected. It's a Black film - not by Tyler Perry - about a family dealing with the death of the patriach of the family. This is a comedy, so don't think you can't see it. And oddly enough it's a remake (in parts word for word) of a British film of the same name that you probably never heard of.

Death at a Funeral is a film starring some of the best Black comedic actors (and comedians) around now. But don't think this is a film only for African Americans. This looks to be a film that everyone can see and laugh at.

Chris Rock looks to be making a strong showing in this film as the son trying to keep his family from imploding, or exploding, or getting exposed (literally), at the funeral of his father. Martin Lawrence is his single, womanizing, more successful brother, and favorite of his mother. These 2 men are at the center of a whirlwind of events that make it clear why tragedy is the mirror twin of comedy.

When I saw this tralier I was just laughing out loud. The timing looks to be superb. The jokes are just spot on. The acting looks like everyone wanted to make this work.

The film also stars Tracy Morgan, Danny Glover, James Marsden, Regina Hall, Loretta Devine, Zoë Saldaña, Kevin Hart, Luke Wilson, and Ron Glass. And as I mentioned this is a remake, but in an odd twist on things Peter Dinklage who starred in the original British film will also be in this version.



Now as I mentioned this is a remake. Which sets it apart from the ususal Hollywood trend of revisioning a film. Thus it does not suffer from the pain a revision inevitably creates for an audience. This is also the 2nd remake of the film as there was a Bollywood version of it as well, which again is odd (since the film came out in 2007) but also is a clear indication of the comedy in the film.

Even though the American version contains numerous scenes that are verbatim of the original, the differences between the English stiff upper lip culture and a more animated African American culture makes this copy fresh. Still I want you to know where the ideas come from. Here is a movie trailer from the original



Either way, a film touching on the taboo of homosexuality in the Black community, while injecting the humor of the dysfunction that is family, and including the cast that it does is worth the time. I have to say the thing that really sold me on this film was the following line that is at 2:18 on the movie trailer

"Let me get this straight. Our father was romantically involved with a guy that could fit in his pocket... And you're mad because he's White?!" - Chris Rock to Martin Lawrence