Movie: Death at a Funeral

• Director: Neil LaBute
• Release Date:
• Writers: Dean Craig
• Run Time: 92
• Genre: Comedy

Tagline: This is one sad family.

Review: Unnecessary is probably the best single word description of Neil LaButes “Death at a Funeral.” I mean, theres really no precedent for the release of a same-language remake a paltry two and a half years after its original, and yet the guest list arrives for this new “Funeral” with almost as fast a turnaround as a Hollywood sequel. Hell, Chris Nolan hibernated on his second “Batman” film longer.

Nevertheless, the reality is that the decidedly Afro-American-friendly version of the dysfunctional family comedy (notable only because it really is the later films sole distinguishing feature), is now in theaters, leaving anyone who remembers the Frank Oz original to ponder why.

LaBute and star Chris Rock, who also served as a producer on the film, cheekily adapt U.K. writer Dean Craigs screenplay by peppering it with hip-pop pop-culture nods to Usher and R. Kelly, and leaving the rest, in essence, unchanged. On one hand, I appreciate the sentiment in that it doesn presume to outdo its progenitor, but thats its problem as a standalone piece: its either identical or inferior in every conceivable way. As such, the majority of its first-time audience will probably appreciate the comedic build-up having not been spoiled on the gags, and thats fine for right now, but it poses a potential dilemma, say, ten years down the road.

When film buffs and historians look back on “Death at a Funeral” (which they honestly have little reason to), the choice between the two versions will be obvious. Plus, theyll have no idea who “Usher” is.

Likewise, even today Id recommend a rental of the 2007 film over a ticket to its 2010 counterpart, because, well, the original is the original, and for all its faithfulness, the remake actually accentuates whats lost in translation. The pop-culture one-liners clash with the characters on the page, and leave them feeling half-formed and sloppy on the screen—Are we watching Chris Rock do what makes Chris Rock hilarious, or are we seeing him play a repressed, introverted protagonist? The answer, messily, is both.

On that level, theres a creative integrity to the original performances that is impossible in LaButes version. Martin Lawrence, Danny Glover, Tracey Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Peter Dinklage, Luke Wilson, and others comprise an undeniably talented cast that does an admirable job performing characters that were written as upper-crust Englishmen, but watching Rock sulk his way through the film makes it abundantly clear that they
e not being themselves.

Theres also the not-so-insignificant matter of LaButes bland artisanship. In the past, hes been responsible for equally lifeless big-screen adaptations of his own stage plays, and a spectacularly poorly-received remake of “The Wicker Man”—It begs the question, why was he asked and trusted to shepherd this project? Theres no single performance in the film that feels particularly informed by his hand, and LaBute fails to bring a single funny idea to the table. In adhering so rigidly to “Funeral” prime, his remake is marked by an absence of directorial and comedic vision.

I have no qualms with anyone who enjoyed “Death at a Funeral” for the first time via the LaBute/Rock version. A lot of what made the British comedy memorable has survived, and even with a jaded precognition of the gags, I mined a couple laughs. However, the fatal flaw of the 2010 adaptation is that the 2007 version exists. Its not like its antiquated or anything; its three years old.

Anyone with an open mind can still appreciate the original “Death at a Funeral,” and its immediate availability for less than the cost of a night at the movies makes the 2010 remake quintessentially one thing—Unnecessary.