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DEATH AT A FUNERAL (2010)Movie Reviews
Comedy about a dysfunctional family that gathers for the funeral of the family patriarch which turns into a full-scale fiasco. Cast:Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, Danny Glover, Regina HallDirector:Neil LaButeRelease Date:April 16, 2010DVD Release:August 10, 2010From:Screen GemsRating:RLength:1 hr 32 min
Death at a Funeral (2010) played to moderate reviews. • Carrie Rickey wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "...alternately sidesplitting and poop-splattered... Loved the slapstick, winced at the toilet humor, and mourned that the female performers were given so little to do." • And Tim Grierson wrote for Cinema 24/7, "...most of the cast fails to generate many laughs." More Reviews Below...
Death at a Funeral (2010) Positive Reviews (32 Reviews, reviews below)
Mary Pols, Time: FAIR "Neil LaBute's strategy is just to pile on the potential comedy until the screen is so crowded with gags that something gratuitous is bound to hit the funny bone..."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 755 words, 04/16/10
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...at its most appealing when it's daring and a little bit kinky, and doesn't need to appeal to the lowest common denominator in this manner."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 671 words, 04/15/10
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a loosey-goosey American romp.... comes to life with an unforced, bopping raunch and warmth that eluded the previous tea party."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 469 words, 04/16/10
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "Perhaps the biggest surprise is that playwright/filmmaker Neil LaBute chose to direct... this slapstick and toothless business is hardly his forte."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 410 words, 04/16/10
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: OUTSTANDING(cg) "I don't laugh at movies where the characters are deliberately being vulgar. But when they desperately don't want to be -- now that's funny."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 791 words, 04/15/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: MODERATE "...a loud, knockabout carnival show.... a comic quickie. As it presses buttons, a few laughs come out, but that's all there is to it."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 652 words, 04/16/10
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, and Tracy Morgan.... it's especially disappointing that nobody, including director Neil LaBute, seems to know what to do with them."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 366 words, 04/16/10
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "Rock and Lawrence just never gel... Lawrence acts more like a party guest floating through than a member of the family, a loose end the filmmaker can't quite tie up."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 687 words, 04/16/10
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "...the rare comedy remake that's funnier than the original, however slightly. Personally, though, I'm not sure it was worth the effort."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 414 words, 04/16/10
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The swings between sentimentality and excrement are pretty wild. But seeing all these good, resourceful actors mix it up has its satisfactions."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 517 words, 04/16/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "I don't laugh at movies where the characters are deliberately being vulgar. But when they desperately don't want to be -- now that's funny."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 791 words, 04/15/10
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD(cg) "It's fun to watch Rock in a role originally given to an uptight Brit.... Lawrence hits the sweet spot as an aging playboy whose isn't as cool as he thinks he is."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 646 words, 04/16/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...milks most of its presumed laughs from sending people flailing around in a panic without really giving them anything to flail around about."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 549 words, 04/17/10
KEY CITIES (8 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...it's a mystery why LaBute -- a brilliant playwright with a bold, acidly satiric voice -- would be compelled to direct someone else's script..."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 400 words, 04/16/10
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...alternately sidesplitting and poop-splattered... Loved the slapstick, winced at the toilet humor, and mourned that the female performers were given so little to do."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 351 words, 04/16/10
Walter Addiego, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: POOR(cg) "The movie's M.O. is taking an unfunny joke -- like its big scatological gross-out scene -- and beating it to death."(See all of Walter Addiego's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 356 words, 04/16/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...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."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 448 words, 04/16/10
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "This is the first comedy from Neil LaBute, an acclaimed director of drama, and he doesn't seem to have the hang of it."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 494 words, 04/16/10
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...completely unnecessary and sloppier than it should be. It's also still funny, partly thanks to smart casting in a few key roles... farce this ironclad cannot be denied."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 552 words, 04/16/10
Nathan Rabin, AV Club: WEAK(cg) "...has two primary tones: broad and Tracy Morgan-covered-in-Danny Glover's-crap super-loud.... all the pandering and flailing slapstick seldom leads to laughs."(See all of Nathan Rabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 377 words, 04/15/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...milks most of its presumed laughs from sending people flailing around in a panic without really giving them anything to flail around about."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 549 words, 04/17/10
Edward Adams, Atlanta Creative Loafing: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "LaBute was smart enough to leave Dean Craig's central story alone and instead focus the energy around an amazing ensemble cast.... a smart and laugh-out-loud movie..."(See all of Edward Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 531 words, 04/16/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: MODERATE "...a loud, knockabout carnival show.... a comic quickie. As it presses buttons, a few laughs come out, but that's all there is to it."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 652 words, 04/16/10
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "Rock and Lawrence just never gel... Lawrence acts more like a party guest floating through than a member of the family, a loose end the filmmaker can't quite tie up."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 687 words, 04/16/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: WEAK "...a strained, mirthless remake... fails to tap into anything culturally specific or uniquely funny in its Pasadena setting or its theoretically looser, livelier black cast."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 831 words, 04/14/10
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "Rock and Lawrence just never gel... Lawrence acts more like a party guest floating through than a member of the family, a loose end the filmmaker can't quite tie up."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 687 words, 04/16/10
Tim Grierson, Cinema 24/7: FAIR(cg) "A depressingly strained comedy... a pale shadow of the very mediocre 2007 British original.... most of the cast fails to generate many laughs."(See all of Tim Grierson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 933 words, 04/15/10
Stephen Holden, New York Times: MODERATE "...a loud, knockabout carnival show.... a comic quickie. As it presses buttons, a few laughs come out, but that's all there is to it."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 652 words, 04/16/10
18.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Death at a Funeral (2010)'s reviews are separated by an average 18.9 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Death at a Funeral (2010) (32 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Death at a Funeral (2010)'s reviews cover 57.3% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 16,122 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 504 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Death at a Funeral (2010) Coverage, Volume & Length (32 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 15.5 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Death at a Funeral (2010)'s reviews on average broke 15.5 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Death at a Funeral (2010)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Death at a Funeral (2010) (32 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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