Week 42: Death at a Funeral

Oh, how I love a good dose of witty British humor. And any movie involving a blackmailing gay midget is right up my alley. My only question is, how wasn't this movie a lot more popular? It's so much fun to watch and is perfect light humor fare, but most of us have never heard of it.

Death at a Funeral is set during the funeral of wealthy British patriarch. His two sons are bumbling around preparing for the funeral while several guests are having problems of their own, including a niece whose nervous boyfriend accidentally ingests a huge hit of LSD that he mistook for Valium.

When a stranger--a midget (why he had to be a midget, I don't know, but it does ramp up the comedy factor)--shows up at the funeral, the sons are confused, until the midget reveals a very shocking relationship to the deceased father, then attempts to blackmail the family for 15,000 pounds.

I won't reveal the surprises that follow next, but they're pretty funny and reminiscent to me of old British slapstick sitcom humor. Not quite Benny Hill here, but a lot of naked/sweating/poop gags are involved. You'll recognize a few of the actors in the film, namely the midget, Peter Dinklage, who was in The Station Agent and Elf. "Call me an elf one more time!" Ah, love that line. I must say it at least once a week to Motley Husband.

Go rent this film.