When the family patriarch croaks, a dysfunctional family gathers to bury him. But a 4 foot tall man (Peter Dinklage) comes out to demand from the deceased's son Daniel (Matthew Macfadyen) and his siblings 15,000 quid as a funeral dowry of sorts. Or else, he would expose his affair with the old man to friends and family! And he's got photos to prove of their indiscretions!
Meanwhile, we are treated to a bevy of zany characters: the grumpy wheelchair-bound grand uncle (the delightfully scroogey Peter Vaughan), the brilliant but cooky and successful novelist brother Robert (Rupert Graves), the hopeless lover Justin (Ewen Bremner) and the drugged out solicitor Simon (Alan Tudyk) who was given Mescaline (a hallucinogenic) instead of Valium. What ensues is a rollicking ride of chaos. Funeral has never been this fun!
Tudyk refers to his naked scenes as memory from when he was younger when a drunken man suddenly took his clothes off and climbed the restaurant tables. He does better by climbing the roof - and letting it all hang out! The latest (2010 U.S.) version has the delectable James Marsden playing Simon! Yum!
"Death at a Funeral" is directed by Frank Oz. The U.S. version is directed by one of my favorite directors, Neil LaBute. Peter Dinklage - one of only 2 Americans, along with Tudyk, from the British original - was retained. Tudyk's Simon character becomes Oscar (James Marsden) in the new version. It's a tad silly though to remake something so new.
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