Death at a Funeral: Britain vs. US

This week I’ve decided to focus on the movie “Death at a Funeral”. The difference between these movies is not so much the time of when they were filmed, but more of a difference of where they were filmed. The original version was filmed by British actors in 2007, whereas the second version was filmed in the United States in 2010. Personally I love both of these movies, although I saw the US version first so I’m more prone to recommend this one. Between the two movies there were very few discrepancies. The major difference was that the British version is an all-white cast, whereas the US version is an all-black cast.

For anyone who does not know what the movie is about, it starts at the funeral of the head of a family. It’s your typical dysfunctional family. The older brother is overshadowed by his younger brother, who never pays for anything. Their father has just died and the movie tells the story of his funeral, in which a man shows up making some astonishing accusations (with photo proof), casket opens up with another man in it, and someone is “killed”. My favorite part about the US version is the inclusion of Chris Rock as the main character and Danny Glover as Uncle Russell. I’m huge fans of both of theirs, whereas I had no idea who the British actors were.

My final decision is that they are tied. There is no difference except for dialects. Even, Frank (the man with the bad news) is played by the same guy in both movies! (It’s Peter Dinklage, the guy from Elf who hits Buddy) The critics seem to disagree with me and say that the first one is better. I guess it’s really just a preference. Also directors may have an influence on that. The British version was directed by Frank Oz, who is well respected, whereas the US version was directed by Neil LaBute, who is pretty much an unknown. Anyways, see for yourself and check out the movies. If you are into movies that give you a kick over and over these are definitely something that you want to watch! It may not be appropriate at times, but that is definitely overshadowed by the hilarity that ensues throughout the plot! Now GO WATCH THEM! :3

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0795368/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1321509/