Does anyone remember when the name Neil LaBute meant something divisive, contentious or at the very least, interesting? Sparking debate and controversy with earlier silver screen corkers like In The Company of Men and Your Friends and Neighbours, LaButes subsequent and baffling foray into the mainstream implied that maybe this renegade writer/director had notions of infiltrating and corrupting Hollywood from within. No such luck. Following the abysmal The Wicker Man and the boring Lakeview Terrace, LaBute now offers up a tepid and tedious remake of a film that wasnt even that interesting in the first place.
Death at a Funeral (made by Frank Oz just a few years ago in the UK with the same title and story) focuses on Aaron (Rock), the son of a deceased father and husband. Having paid for and organised his fathers well-to-do funeral, Aaron waits and watches on as various family members and friends turn up to the grave event and gradually wreak havoc. His supposedly rich brother, Ryan (Lawrence), is suspiciously broke and wont cough up his half of the funeral money, his cousins fiancé seems to be high on LSD, and a shady looking little person has some questions he wants answering.
Lazy slapstick and predictable farce ensue in this tiresome and instantly forgettable comedy of errors. The fine cast try to help things along, though you cant help but wonder what drew such a list of talent to such an uninspired project in the first place, and Neil LaBute might as well have been any old director for hire.
The Blu-ray is a-okay in terms of the tiptop picture and clear-as-crystal audio, but such a project doesnt really demand the hi-def experience. The special features include a mildly interesting commentary from LaBute and Rock, though there seems to be very little reference to the actual film throughout the rest of the special features.
Overall Verdict: A stellar cast fail to work miracles with the uninspired script and unremarkable direction. Looks alright in hi-def though…
Special Features:
Movie IQ
Audio Commentary with Neil LaBute and Chris Rock
Gag Reel
Deleted Scenes
Behind the Scenes Featurettes
Reviewer: Lee Griffiths