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Death at a Funeral
Aaron's father's funeral is today at the family home, and everything goes wrong: the funeral home delivers the wrong body, his cousin accidentally drugs her fiancé, and Aaron's successful younger brother, Ryan, flies in from New York, broke but arrogant. To top it all off, a mysterious stranger wants a word with Aaron.
2010 · Directed by Neil LaBute · 92 min · Comedy · Screenplay in the scene database · 2 frames
Tagline
This is one sad family.
Plot
A funeral service is being held for a man named Edward Barnes. His older son Aaron and Aaron's wife Michelle live at his parents' home but have been trying to buy their own and have children. Aaron's younger brother Ryan is a successful author, while Aaron (a tax accountant) has not yet completed his own novel, and resents that Ryan would rather spend money on a first-class airline ticket than help pay for the funeral expenses. There was a delay as the wrong body was delivered but they managed to acquire the casket carrying Edward.
Aaron and Ryan's cousin Elaine and her fiancé Oscar are on their way to pick up Elaine's brother Jeff before heading to the funeral. To ease Oscar's nerves, she gives him a pill from a bottle labeled as Valium. Jeff later reveals to Elaine that it is a powerful hallucinogenic drug he has concocted for a friend. As the eulogy continues, the bizarre escalated; Oscar hallucinates of seeing the coffin that is moving, tips it over, and the body burst out into the floor. Panicked, he locks himself into the bathroom.
Aaron is approached by an unknown guest named Frank Lovett, who reveals himself to be the secret lover of his late father. Frank shows Aaron photos as proof, during which he believes to feel cheated as Edward promised he be taken care of, and threatens to reveal them to Aaron and Ryan's mother Cynthia unless he is paid $30,000. While in shock, Aaron relays the situation to Ryan, who suggests Aaron to pay the money because Ryan claims that he is in debt. When Aaron and Ryan meet with Frank to pay him, Frank starts to deride Aaron's ability as a writer and Aaron refuses to pay. Frank becomes angry; he attacks them, but Aaron and Ryan subdue him, tying him up to prevent him from leaving. Family friend Norman enters the room, giving Frank several doses of what he also believes is Valium to try to calm him down. Jeff also enters the room, telling them that it is the same hallucinogen Oscar took earlier.
Plot summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
Crew
- Screenplay: Dean Craig
- Cinematography: Rogier Stoffers
- Edited by: Tracey Wadmore-Smith
- Music: Christophe Beck
- Production design: Jon Gary Steele
- Produced by: Laurence Malkin, Share Stallings, Chris Rock, William Horberg
Cast
- Chris Rock as Aaron
- Martin Lawrence as Ryan
- Zoe Saldaña as Elaine
- Tracy Morgan as Norman
- Regina Hall as Michelle
- James Marsden as Oscar
- Luke Wilson as Derek
- Columbus Short as Jeff
- Peter Dinklage as Frank
- Danny Glover as Uncle Russell
Production
- Country: United States of America
- Language: English
- Studios: Parabolic Pictures, Wonderful Films, Stable Way Entertainment, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment
- Budget: $21,000,000
- Box office: $49,050,886
- Themes: family relationships, remake, murder, death
More by Neil LaBute
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