Death at a Funeral, He Said

The kind of comedy that Frank Oz brings us always seems like organized chaos. Whether it's puppets or actors, his characters always seem to be in a constant state of panic. In the case of our characters in Death at a Funeral, they all have good but different reasons for their distress

A distinguished head of their family has died. As in real life, this brings the scattered members of the family back together. The separation of the family can often be for good reasons, such as the brother who has become a famous novelist and lives in New York. Or it might be for other reasons, such as the niece who is escorted by a man who is not welcome by her stuffy father. All in all each arrives with their emotional baggage and we get to inspect it in detail.

All of the performers in this wacky tale do an outstanding job, but I have to say the one that captivated me was Alan Tudyk. Alan plays Simon the man that his future father in law can't seem to accept. Alan is not a overly confident man, even though he seems to be doing quite well as a solicitor. His fear of confrontation with his fiances father leads her to give him a pill which she believes in Valium. It is not. Instead it is a highly charged combination of hallucinogenics that send the guy in to another world that only he can see.

His actions really start the hijinks's when he believes he sees the coffin moving during the memorial service which ends up with the casket being tipped and the body rolling out onto the floor. This role would be raw meat for any actor, but Tudyk plays it with energy and originality while holding onto the essence of his character.

Each of the actors has a simple but believable back story which involves a tie to the family. This funeral exposes their foibles and strengths in a humorous and entertaining way. Oz, brings out the best in his cast and gives us a great night in the dark with neighbors and friends