Director: Deil LaBute
Writer: Dean Craig (same as original)
Rated: R (language, drug use)
Cast: Martin Lawrence, Chris Rock, James Mardsen, Zoe Saldana

Death at a Funeral 2010

Death at a Funeral (2010) is the American rendition of the 2007 film of the same name from the UK. While we’ve become accustomed to Hollywood remakes, even to the point where we expect them, something isn’t quite right with this one. As I’ve pointed out in my rant last year when this film was still in development, what gets to me the most about this latest rehashing is that not only is it of a recent movie, but it was also already in English!

I just can’t help but wonder what goes on in the head of the individual that decides to redo such a recent film that is already in its target audience’s native tongue. To me it’s a slap in the face of the original cast and crew, like saying “We can do your movie better than you.”

But enough ranting, let’s get down to the movie itself. As much as I don’t want to admit it, I actually really enjoyed parts of it. While the script rarely strays away from the original, the colorful cast still makes all of the crazy scenarios funny. For those that already aren’t aware, the twist on this Americanized version is that the family is black. The few tweaks to the original script primarily play off of the personalities of the comedian actors. Jokes about R. Kelly and Dreamgirls, as well as references to the Lakers are some of the few subtle changes added to attempt to make the film more relevant to its audience.

As I said the cast are what made the film enjoyable for me. The standouts were Tracy Morgan and James Mardsen. While they were faithful to the British characters of the original, their own personalities were able to shine. But honestly, other than that, I still couldn’t help but ask myself “What is the point of all this?” Funny, yes…but after seeing the British version all I could do was compare.

All in all it’s a fun movie that indeed may be a little more relevant to the American audience, but what bugs me is that probably 90% of viewers have no idea the original even exists therefore would be unable to make the comparison on their own.
IMDb/trailer | Official site

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