I’m still not entirely sure why the MPAA has allowed Neil LaBute to direct and release Death at a Funeral. No less than three years ago, Frank Oz brought this original and hilarious British script to art house theatres, garnering a small return but winning acclaim from cinephiles the world over. For reasons unknown, someone has chosen to redo Oz’s script, and in doing so, has assigned playwright LaBute to man the camera. In his film directing debut Lakeview Terrace, LaBute showed that the transition from Broadway to Hollywood wasn’t all that difficult, but what he aims for on this remake is beyond absurd. The laughs feel more forced, the nuances are completely absent and everything about it feels incredibly unoriginal. Then again, that’s probably because it is. If this is the new trend in filmmaking, then there’s no way in Sam Hill you’ll find me in a theater in the very near future.
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