In 2007, the British comedy Death at a Funeral debuted in American theaters. Me and my buddy Sue were amused enough by the trailer to hit up an indie theater in the Village one summery afternoon. We were happily surprised to discover that it was friggin hilarious. There is so much going on in this film--it is truly an ensemble accomplishment. The Brits do 'em best (i.e. Snatch, Love Actually, etc.). So it's about a guy who's trying to bury his father with dignity, but is having a little trouble considering that he had a secret gay midget lover who's trying to blackmail him. Not to mention his family can't seem to bottle their insanity for just a few hours to mourn, doing everything from accidentally getting high (and subsequently naked) to improperly caring for their poop-filled grandfather.
The film was so funny in fact that Chris Rock wanted to adapt it into an African American-cast film, bringing on board Zoe Saldana, Luke Wilson, James Marsden, Columbus Short, Danny Glover, Martin Lawrence, Chris Rock, Regina Hall, Tracy Morgan, Loretta Devine, Kevin Hart, and Peter Dinklage, who reprises his role. I'd have to say I'm skeptical that it'll be funnier, but it's definitely funny so far. The remake is set for an April 16th release, so watch the trailers below and decide whether you'd rather rent the Brit version or patiently await the American version:
British The Death at a Funeral
American The Death at a Funeral
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