An ensemble cast takes center stage in this remake of the 2007 British dark comedy.

Aaron’s father has died and he’s in charge of the funeral. Unhappy because as an aspiring writer, he can’t come up with a proper eulogy. Even as the oldest, people are more into the successful younger brother Ryan, who is a writer as well. Meanwhile, Aaron’s cousin Elaine is coming with her boyfriend Oscar and brother Jeff. Another cousin, Norman, is bringing Elaine’s ex Derek and the annoying Uncle Russell.

When the family gets together, things go awry from the start. Oscar, nervous about Elaine’s dad, has taken some Valium that makes him go insane as Jeff reveals it is actually LSD. Derek is desperate to win Elaine back at all costs. Uncle Russell is annoying everyone in his midst and if that’s not bad enough, a mysterious man arrives at the funeral. The mystery man is the diminutive Frank, who reveals himself to be Aaron’s father’s former gay lover and he wants $30,000 or the secret will be reveals. This is set to be a funeral no one will ever forget.

A remake of the 2007 British dark comedy, this is how not to have a funeral. Then again, if you’ve seen the original film you know what to expect. While the original film has the iconic moments of the film, this one is a bit updated to adhere to a more American crowd. However, with original screenwriter Dean Craig returning to update this remake and the return of Peter Dinklage from the original, this is quite a fun remake to enjoy even with a bit of gross out humor mixed in.

Chris Rock leads the ensemble as oldest son Aaron, whose home the funeral is being held in. From the moment we see funeral director Kevin Hart bring the wrong coffin in the opening moments, then you know things are not always going to go as planned. Some of the funniest moments involve James Marsden’s Oscar going insane while tripping off LSD, Dinklage’s revelation and the reaction from both Rock and Martin Lawrence’s Ryan as well as Danny Glover as the hilarious and angst-ridden (and wheelchair-ridden) Uncle Russell.

While the guys, including Tracy Morgan as flighty Norman, constantly are involved in most of the comic gags, there are some fun moments from the ladies. Notably Loretta Devine as the grief-stricken matriarch, who consistently guilt trips Regina Hall’s Michelle to have a baby already so she can get rid of her loneliness. There’s also Zoe Saldana’s Elaine, who when confronting her dad and even Derek brings the spunk and energy that made her worthy of being Gamora in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.

Death at a Funeral is a fun remake that has one gross-out moment that may make you scream. However, the ensemble cast stands out with all the iconic moments, including Peter Dinklage’s return from the original. 

WFG RATING: B+

Screen Gems and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment presents a Wonderful Films production. Director: Neil Labute. Producers: Sidney Kimmel, Lawrence Malkin, Chris Rock, Share Stallings, and William Horberg. Writer: Dean Craig; based on his original 2007 screenplay. Cinematography: Rogier Stoffers. Editing: Tracey Wadmore-Smith.

Cast: Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Peter Dinklage, Loretta Devine, Regina Hall, James Marsden, Zoe Saldana, Columbus Short, Luke Wilson, Tracy Morgan, Danny Glover, Kevin Hart.