Death at a Funeral

An all-star comedic cast delivers the laughs in this black comedy directed by Neil LaBute ("Lakeview Terrace").  Chris Rock plays Aaron, older brother to Ryan (Martin Lawrence) whose father has just passed away.  As the eldest in the family, it's up to Aaron to arrange the funeral and get all the family members gathered to pay their last respects.  But with an oddball collection of relatives, a mysterious stranger who shows up unexpectedly, and no help from the irresponsible Ryan, Aaron's task at hand is more complicated than it sounds.  A remake of the eponymous British film, "Death at a Funeral" is outrageous slapstick, and it works because all the actors are at the top of their game.  From the hysterical Tracy Morgan as the dim-witted friend of the family, to the equally hilarious Danny Glover as the curmudgeonly Uncle Russell, these over-the-top characters would come off as absurd in less capable hands but are enjoyable here.  Not to mention an inspiring insane turn by James Marsden as the deceased's brother's future son-in-law, who has my vote to stop doing dramatic roles and just focus his career on being funny (since he's so good at it).  It's nice to see LaBute getting back to his dark comedy roots and he does a great job of making this funeral from hell come to life.

3 out of 5 stars