Death at a Funeral (2010) African American Comedy Remake

Death at a Funeral was released in 2007 and applauded as a great example of dark English comedy. A family comes together after the death of their patriarch and, as things go in this situation, the coming together of all of these people creates new conflicts that must be resolved. While this serious aspect of the film is going on, wacky mysterious about their dead father begin to unravel to show that he was perhaps not as normal and traditionally English at they once had thought. Now, in 2010 Chris Rock brings this film to America adapted to be an African American comedy film. How does it stand up?

Plot

It would seem that the plot of the new Death at a Funeral is almost completely the same as that of the British film. The major difference is that it is an African American family instead of a white British one. The subtle humor of the original film, it would seem, is mostly still there though the reactions of the characters are less "proper" (keep in mind the English tradition of trying not overreacting to situations). Instead, the characters are loud and funny which though entertaining is very different from the original dark comedy style of the British film. This remake of the film uses the same wacky jokes such as the grandfather who cannot use the bathroom on his own and the fact that the deceased father had a dwarf gay lover, who is one one of the few white characters in the remake.

Personal Reactions

Remakes are a good idea, to me, in only certain situations. When an old film has reached large popularity and the intention of the remake is to upgrade the quality of the film for a new audience, I believe the idea of remaking is completely fine. However, when a movie from only 2007 is remade three years later in 2010, this clearly isn't the point. The plot is almost unchanged in this remake. The ideas and jokes of the original film have been taken and moved over to create an almost duplicate film. In fact, the writer for the original film, Dean Craig also penned this version! It is almost as if these film makers believe Americans unable to appreciate the original British film! This is an insult to our intelligence. Should the Harry Potter films be remade without the British Accents? Set in America this time? No, the idea is obviously ridiculous, so why is it being accepted now? The idea of remaking a work of art after only three years of it existing seems fundamentally flawed. Are we to "remake" Van Gogh's paintings to feature modern buildings instead of Dutch ones? The obvious conclusion is that this remake is being made for money and for a niche audience.

Many of the actors in this movie are very funny individuals and will no doubt do a good job with the film. Only time will tell if this film was good decision or not, but it certainly pushes the limit on what is acceptable for remaking. If this shows that any film is up for grabs, then we may see a new flood of remakes in the near future.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_at_a_Funeral_%282010_film%29 ; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_at_a_Funeral_%282007_film%29