Death at a Funeral (2007)

Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed,
or hidden that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the dark
shall be heard in the light, and what you have
whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed
upon the housetops.
Luke 12:2-3

This delightful British farce directed by Frank Oz displays about everything that can go wrong at a funeral at an English rural estate, beginning with the arrival of the wrong body; to the accidental drugging of the daughter’s fiancé, causing him to take off his clothes and perch atop the roof; to the humiliation of the younger brother asked to give the eulogy despite the presence of his older brother who is a famous novelist; to the revelation by the unrecognized guest of a dark secret shared with the deceased. Despite several potty jokes, this is an enjoyable escape from the real world—I have seldom seen an audience laugh so much at a screening.

Church folk will readily recognize that the funeral service, presided by a clergyman with a collar, bears little resemblance to that in any official worship book sanctioned by a church, but they will probably be laughing too much to care. The gathered mourners certainly are so secularized that they certainly do not. Although Jesus was talking about the Eschaton in the gospel passage, when everything “covered up” will be revealed, for the deceased father/husband it might as well be the last days. This would be a good time for viewers to talk/think about the most memorable, funny, inspiring funerals that they have witnessed.