Director 导演：
Frank Oz 弗兰克?奥兹
Leading Cast 主演：
Matthew Macfadyen 马修?马克菲德恩
Keeley Hawes 凯莉?霍斯
Andy Nyman 安迪?奈曼
Daisy Donovan 戴西?多诺沃
Genre 类型：Comedy/Drama 喜剧/戏剧
Runtime 片长：90分钟
Distribution出品：MGM 米高梅电影制片公司

Plot Outline故事梗概

认真负责的孝顺儿子Daniel忙前忙后地张罗父亲的葬礼，可一切从一开始就不顺利，这边送来的居然不是父亲的遗体，那边从纽约赶回来的作家弟弟不仅违背诺言不分担葬礼的费用，还连悼词也不准备只知道在一旁调情。不过这还不是最糟的：葬礼上突然冒出一个小矮子自称是过世父亲的“秘密情人”，他对Daniel恐吓要挟；表亲Martha带未婚夫来参加葬礼，未婚夫却意外服用了Martha弟弟的迷幻药而失去意识大闹葬礼；而另一个本来就神经兮兮的表弟不幸受到坐轮椅还老骂人的叔叔的无尽折磨，痛苦不堪。本来就很沮丧的Daniel面对一堆突然间发生的意外近乎崩溃！他原本希望为父亲操办的庄重葬礼就这样变成了一场热闹的“马戏团演出”。
Erick Peterson’s Review 艾眼看片
艾瑞克?皮特森是一名居住在上海的美国作家，他毕业于中央华盛顿大学哲学系。他热衷电影，尤其钟爱西方的“黑色电影”，但同时又为张艺谋和巴斯特?基顿的电影倾倒。他喜欢阅读、旅行，也喜欢和电影圈中的好友畅谈电影、生活和人生。

Go to the birthday of a middle-aged man, and you may well hear the old codger claim that life doesn’t begin until 40 or 50. For Daniel, life doesn’t begin until death - the death of his father, that is. In the outrageously hilarious film Death at a Funeral, a family gathers to say their final goodbyes to their patriarch. Everything that can go wrong, however, does go wrong, and hardly a moment passes without a shocking incident or startling revelation upsetting the solemn occasion.
参加中年男人的生日，你也许会听到过生日的老头子宣称生活是从40或者50岁才真正开始的。但对Daniel来说，生活是在死亡后——他父亲的死亡，才真正开始的。在这部让人捧腹大笑的电影中，家族成员一起参加族里年长者的葬礼。但是，任何可能出错的地方都出错了，在这个肃穆的场合中，时不时发生一些耸人听闻的意外。

Filmmaker Frank Oz doesn’t hold back in the horrors he forces upon his characters in this movie. They suffer everything from accidental drug consumption and embarrassing public nudity to a brawling session with a midget, and more. Much more. In one scene, a hypochondriac inadvertently dirties his hand while helping an old man to the toilet. The filth covering his hand is just as unbelievable to him as it is to the viewer. But then, when he tries to wash the waste from his fingers, he ends up covering his face in it, and a moment that was already grotesque becomes ten times more so. The whole film is like this, a collection of appalling moments coming one after another, each one topping the last until there is nowhere left to go.
导演不遗余力地把一些糟糕的东西扣在片中人物身上。他们有的因意外磕药而当众裸体出丑，有的和参加葬礼的侏儒争吵，还有很多其它匪夷所思的意外。有这样一场戏：一名忧郁症患者在帮一名瘫痪的老人上厕所的时候不小心把手弄脏了。手上的污物不仅让他难以忍受，连观众都会觉得恶心。但是当他想把手洗干净的时候，污物又溅到了他脸上，这样的结局让怪异感发展到了极点。然而，整部片子都是这样的风格，不可思议的荒诞事件接踵而来，一个比一个厉害。

But therein lies a problem. The action grows so big that the characters lose credibility. For example, Daniel is portrayed as a loving everyman for most of the film. In fact, he stands as the film’s moral center, the dignified, loving caretaker who wants nothing but a peaceful sendoff for his dear father. Suddenly, however, he takes a turn, and is actually helping to tie up and gag another person. When this person dies, Daniel’s previous high-mindedness doesn’t keep him from tossing the body in his father’s casket. Later, Daniel returns to business as usual, acting like nothing happened. Such a break in the integrity of the character is unforgivable, even in a comedy, and it would have been better had Daniel shown more remorse for his actions.
这就产生了一个问题：意外事件掩盖了人物的光芒。例如，Daniel是整部影片中唯一一个让所有人都喜欢的人。事实上，他站在了全片的道德中心点上，是个高尚又乐观的管理者，他唯一想要的就是给亲爱的父亲举办个平静的葬礼。但是，他突然就转变了，竟然将另一个人捆绑起来。而当这个被捆绑的人“死”后，他之前的高尚品德并未阻止他将“死者”放入父亲的棺木中。之后，Daniel又恢复了常态，装作什么也没发生过。对于人物本身正直性格的突然扭曲是不可原谅的，就算在喜剧中也一样，如果事后Daniel懊悔过就好了。