Death at a Funeral

It's no classic, but it did prompt me to watch those great old Ealing Alec Guinness comedies again.

Scatological grue, nudity, swearing, drug-taking and the chance to watch two grown men wrestle a midget...

Death at a Funeral might have been made in the 1960s, not to be released until well past its stale date.

Weighing in at a brisk 90 minutes, the picture does have the advantage of brevity, and on screen no less than off, there's much to be said for a quick send-off.

Death at a Funeral may be the funniest movie ever set in such a deadly serious setting.

No, there aren't a lot of surprise giggles in it. But at this Funeral, the pleasure is in seeing those giggles coming.

Proves you can spell funeral without 'fun.' [Blu-ray]

Death at a Funeral never quite hits the farcical heights it's aiming for, but it's still got plenty going for it, thanks to an excellent cast and experienced direction.

When turned loose on accessible, not altogether-insincere dark-comedy scenarios, Frank Oz understands humor at a molecular level of structure, volume and timing. An impossible last-shot stinger aside, "Death at a Funeral" is farce at its most flawless.

Lazy comedy, and it's only made passable mainly by its manic cast and pace.

Despite a final half hour that's full of laughs, Death takes so long getting its farce gears moving that the audience becomes comatose with anticipation of mirth that is too late in coming.

...an ingratiating bit of energetic silliness that'll surely delight fans of British comedy...