Death At A Funeral**
I HAD high hopes for Death At A Funeral, a British comedy with a starry cast, a high profile American director (Frank Oz) and a promising first-time writer, Dean Craig.
The story of a family funeral that goes pear-shaped, it has received some enthusiastic reviews in America, with Time magazine describing it as 'insanely funny', praise that seems head-scratchingly misplaced after seeing the film.
It is painfully protracted, repetitive and predictable with jokes sign-posted long in advance and no gathering momentum to sweep you along and forgive the absurdities. Matthew Macfadyen anchors proceedings with a commendably straight-face, playing the angst-ridden son who organises the funeral and struggles to keep it slipping into chaos.
He must contend with bickering relatives, a guest who has accidentally ingested a hallucingenic drug (Alan Tudyk, who is reduced to gurning repetitively for the full 90 minutes) and a mystery mourner (Peter Dinklage) who harbours a shocking secret about the deceased. The ingredients are here for a terrific farce but it is achingly plodding and unfunny.
Rising star Andy Nyman gives the best performance as an uptight hypochondriac.
(15, 90mins)