My father was an exceptional man - no weddings just Death at a Funeral

DEATH AT A FUNERAL
sneak preview

Death at a Funeral is one of those romps that only the British do well. Despite its funereal pall, Death at a Funeral is a lively farce that takes a while to warm up as the characters get introduced but the twisty tale and plot can leave the audience in stitches. The cast are not topnotch names but all are very adept in going against the grain of the the stiff British upper lip,

Matthew MacFayden [ the most recent Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knighley ] plays the put-upon Daniel and grieving son. Jane, Keeley Smith [from MI-5 and the voice of Lara Croft!], is the insistent wife trying to move out and get a deposit made on a flat for the both of them before it is too late.

While at least trying to maintain dignity and decorum at the funeral, Death at a Funeral delves into some very unlikeable characters, starting with the presence of a lecherous self-centred Ewen Bremner [ from Trainspotting ] trying to rekindle a relationship with Jane and the irritating Troy, a ne-er-do-well drug dealer [ who was the lazeabout son Nick from British tv series My Family with Robert Lindsay and Zoe Wannamaker ] who keeps his hallucinogens in a "valium" bottle he keeps lying about loose or loses, period. His brother Robert - Rupert Graves from 'The Forsyte Saga' and A Room With A View -
is more of the selfish sod who ran off to America to become a successful author, in whose shadow Daniel lives under and tries to follow in his limited way trying to keep family together in England, and write his first novel. Everyone at the funeral is expecting the successful Robert to deliver the eulogy, which gives Daniel no bolster of confidence. As well, Daniel expects Robert to pay for half the funeral expenses, which surprises Robert who despite his success in New York City declares himself skint - [after all Robert has a lifestyle to maintain and flew first-class to get to the funeral].

Peter Vaughan plays Uncle Alfie, the cantankerous old man bound in the wheelchair. However, there are a couple of American turns in the cast with their British accent blending in: Alan Tudyk ['Wash' from Firefly!] and Daisy Donovan [born in New York but with more British background and film/tv roles ] are the couple Simon and Sandra with a huge unexpected turn of events surprising them.

Decorum flies out the window right from the start when the undertaker says "Oh s***, we've taken the wrong one" - they have brought the wrong body to the house for the funeral service to which Daniel understatedly comments: "This is bloody grim."

Zany and indecorous events transpire which lead to a high laughcount, and detailing them would spoil the fun except can you say acid trip, midget and Kensington ? Events finally lead to the heartfelt eulogy that brings off a warm conclusion.