Death at A Funeral

Funeral Finds Funny Frolic for Audience
Death at A Funeral, R, ***1/2, Chris Rock, James Marsden, Peter Dinklage, Martin Lawrence, Zoe Saldana, Danny Glover, Ron Glass. Screen Gems film. Director Neil LaBute. Length 92 minutes.
This is a remake of a British film by the same title. I have not seen the British version. However, this movie is laugh out loud funny. When I watch a comedy, I want to laugh loudly and not just simple think that the scene is funny.
It begins with a mortuary group bringing a casket to the house of the deceased. Aaron (Chris Rock) meets them at the front door. It is his dad that has passed away. Aaron is the oldest son. His brother Ryan (Martin Lawrence) is on his way into town. They have a brotherly competitive spirit. Ryan is a successful author who has financial problems. Aaron is a would-be-author.
When the casket is opened, it does not contain Aaron’s father. They brought the wrong body. From this point until the final scene the movie begins a wild and woolly story that does not let up.
Aaron has problems with his wife, because the clock is running out on having a child. Aaron’s mother pushes them to have children even as they are in mourning. Aaron’s niece Elaine (Zoe Saldana) and her boyfriend Oscar (James Marsden) are on their way to the funeral. She accidentally gives Oscar what she thinks is a Valium, but it is laced with acid. He takes an eight hour trip into paranoia, hilarity, and insanity. His antics will keep the audience in stitches. The hallucinogenic drug creates chaos and more trouble for the family and friends. This situation makes things worse, because Elaine’s father, Duncan (Ron Glass), does not approve of Oscar.
Uncle Russell (Danny Glover) is a cantankerous curmudgeon who is unhappy about everything. A scatology scene is in the movie which I could have done without. I never have found bathroom scenes to be funny. It may be entertaining to some. It is just not my form of comedy.
As everyone gathers at the home ready for the funeral, Frank (Peter Dinklage) shows up with some very shocking news for Aaron and Ryan that elevates the story to another level. A secret comes out of the closet.
Chris Rock is more subdued in this movie. He demonstrates his acting ability by doing less humor and being more serious which turns out to be funny. The final eulogy is a tribute to his father even though an embarrassing secret surfaces as Frank tries to blackmail Aaron.
It seems that visitation at funerals are both a celebration of life and a time for mourning. We see friends and relatives that we have not been around for a years. People reminisce and talk about good times with laughter and sadness. This is part of the healing process.
Comedies should create laugh out loud humor. “Death at a Funeral” does just that. It is disappointing when we see a movie, and we think, “That was funny,” but we do not laugh. This movie reaches down to the belly laughter section to create loud laughs.
Just be warned it has some strong language, drug use, and sexual humor. For those of us who like old music, stay for the credits. The song playing as the credits roll is PaPa was a Rolling Stone by The Temptations. It is appropriate in many ways to the movie the audience has just viewed.