Mendelson's Memos
Essays, Reviews, Commentary, and Original Scholarship. A Film Blog that strives to be Art.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Neil LaBute's Death at a Funeral gets a trailer.
I can't remember the last time I actually laughed out-loud at a trailer. This remake of a 2007 Frank Oz comedy looks like a genuinely witty little gem from Neil LaBute of all people. Of course, LaBute is the very definition of 'hit or miss'. When he scores, we get
Nurse Betty
or
Lakeview Terrace
. But when he botches it, we get
The Wicker Man
or
Possession
. Still, the cast alone will make this worth seeing. Kudos for getting James Marsden to again play to his comic side (he helped make
Sex Drive
watchable). Danny Glover is always fun when he's not taking himself seriously, and he appears to not be wearing his
Shooter
/
2012
dentures this time. Everyone (Chris Rock, Zoe Saldana, Keith David, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, Columbus Short, Luke Wilson, Peter Dinklage, Loretta Devine, etc) looks in top form and I now have very high hopes for this April 16th release. But in the meantime, I'll probably check out the original.
Scott Mendelson
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