Just Buried

To me this movie felt like a combination Fargo and The Trouble With Harry. It's witty, hilarious unpredictable black comedy with one specific scene (you'll know which one when you see it) which got one of the loudest reactions I've ever heard in a theatre. It takes place in Nova Scotia (although I noticed the Canadian elements weren't heavily emphasized, perhaps so it might pass as the US for American distribution?) and it definitely has a small town feel. A likable, harmless and rather bumbling son comes to a small town to inherit his father's funeral home. He tries to run it, then he tries to sell it, fails to do either and during all this all the "fun" takes place. The movie has the courage to go for the comedic jugular (like Fargo ex: the wood- chipper scene) which carries it past so many of the comedies out there.

This funeral home based dark comedy is somewhat of a rarity. It does not pull any punches, at times is gritty, and resolves itself with quite a satisfying ending. The fact that other than Graham Greene's character, no one will elicit any sympathy just adds to the fun. If you like death as a motivation for personal gain, then "Just Buried" is a must see. The acting and character development is quite good for this limited budget endeavor. It is funny, never boring, and at times unpredictable. The conclusion especially is surprisingly original. I recommend this black comedy for both it's creativity and entertainment value. - MERK

After his father dies a young man inherits an old funeral home. The problem is that it isn't getting any business. So he, and the beautiful mortician, decide to kill people from the town to get the business booming. Sound familiar, that's because this is basically a remake of sorts of an old film starring Boris Karloff and Vincent Price called The Comedy of Terrors.

This film feels like a mixes dark comedy and horror. There are numerous deaths but all of them are off screen, with the exception of 3. One of which is pretty gruesome. It stars Jay Baruchel and rose Byrne, as the son and mortician. Byrne is pretty sweet here, in her dark and twisted role. Baruchel plays awkward well, and it fits the character here. It's just too bad I wasn't a big fan of this character. I found him annoying and incompetent.

The film has a few funny moments, but a lot of it is dark and doesn't get many laughs. It's more concerned for it's characters and morbid story then laughs. The film isn't for everyone and it tends to drag in parts, but for the most part I enjoyed it. It has a good twist and the good outweighs the bad.

Oliver Whynacht inherits his father's ailing funeral home. Due to location, it looks like its competing funeral home is getting all of the business.

Poor Oliver seems to be having bad luck; due to a series of accidents several locals are being dispatched. He is consoled and supported by the female mortician. Soon Oliver and the mortician must take positive action to mask the previous accidents. Oliver is getting good at this and now sees a bright future. But is there some underlying plot that Oliver is not aware of?

Never let it be said that Canadians don't know how to produce dark comedies.

The plot is relatively transparent so it might not be of interest to people that are waiting for a lot of plot twists and the butler to come out of the closet at the last minute.

It is, however, fun to watch the characters go through their motions and allow you time to kibitz.

The dark comedy genre has always been a favorite of mine. From the Coen's comedy efforts to award winning films like American Beauty and indie smash hits like Little Miss Sunshine. I am always amazed on how comedy and tragedy blend and mix perfectly so whenever I hear of an upcoming dark comedy release, I do everything in my power to grab ahold of a copy. Just Buried I have to say, is entertaining in many ways. From the clever script to solid gold acting from both Byrne and Baruchel, and let's not forget the picturesque setting the director created. This movie will make you laugh, you will be scratching your head at times when you see the ridiculousness but that isn't really a bad thing. It might be silly but hey, this is no Fellini artpiece either so you just have to let go and let the movie take you in a wild ride about corpses, funerals and formaldehyde.