Death at a Funeral 2010

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: In filling the cast with funny people, none of whom has to carry the picture, LaBute allows Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock, Loretta Devine, Danny Glover and Marsden to score without trying too hard. Read more

A.O. Scott, At the Movies: I like the cast. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: I like this new one mainly because of the cast. Read more

Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: It's logy, clumsy; instead of lifting the viewer up and carrying him or her on constant currents of escalating comic velocity, it lumbers from bit to bit, and the waits for funny stuff can seem endless. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: A mixed bag, Death at a Funeral has moments of real wit -- and moments when you envy the corpse. Read more

Nathan Rabin, AV Club: Rock acquits himself nicely as the responsible brother and resident straight man, but everyone else in the cast has apparently been advised to mug shamelessly and yell their lines as loudly as possible, especially Tracy Morgan... Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Completely unnecessary and sloppier than it should be. It's also still funny, partly thanks to smart casting in a few key roles and partly because farce this ironclad cannot be denied. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: Neil LaBute and an all-star cast surprisingly breathe new life into the material. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Read more

Melissa Anderson, L.A. Weekly: Rock's interventions can't compensate for excessive fealty to dumb gags. Read more

Martin Tsai, Newark Star-Ledger: While it isn't a shot-for-shot replica, certainly no one can accuse Hollywood of dumbing things down here. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: You must really love a movie if you decide to remake it just three years after its release. But unless you also intend to improve upon the first attempt, what's the point? Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: It's because of a superior cast that this version of Death at a Funeral is the rare comedy remake that's funnier than the original, however slightly. Personally, though, I'm not sure it was worth the effort. Read more

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: Loved the slapstick, winced at the toilet humor, and mourned that the female performers were given so little to do. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Death at a Funeral does what a good comedy is supposed to do: generate laughter. Read more

Richard Roeper, Richard Roeper.com: The stellar cast is wasted on scatological humor, running jokes that are run straight into the ground, and corpse-centered slapstick that's less inspired than "Weekend at Bernie's." Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Oh, I know a lot of Death at a Funeral is in very bad taste. That's when I laughed the most. Read more

Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: You can get away with almost anything in a farce except failing to be funny, and that's what kills Death at a Funeral. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: This is the first comedy from Neil LaBute, an acclaimed director of drama, and he doesn't seem to have the hang of it. Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: So much sameness, yet so fewer laughs. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: LaBute wisely cast comic actors, rather than actors attempting to be comic. Timing and delivery are paramount in comedy, all the more so when the material is as daft as this. Read more

Nick Schager, Time Out: Nude, hallucinogen-fueled jaunts on rooftops, revelations about same-sex relationships -- with a little person, no less -- and individuals covered in feces are all executed with verve by the typically misanthropic Neil LaBute. Read more

Trevor Johnston, Time Out: Although it still only just gets away with sundry homophobic and size-ist gags, there's a tad more zing than the original, though if you caught that already, be warned: this is a scene-for-scene retread. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: The only death at this funeral was that of a good movie. Read more

Justin Chang, Variety: Death at a Funeral is a strained, mirthless remake of a comedy that wasn't terribly funny to begin with. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: If for the most part Death at a Funeral is as tame as the tasteful parlor where most of its action takes place, it manages to explode one taboo, in casting mostly black actors in roles originally played by whites. Read more