Jay-Kavanaugh

Anyone who makes a comedy about a funeral and manages to pull it off deserves a medal and this is certainly one hilarious movie. It sails so close to the edge, no, it sails _on_ the edge and still manages to stay just on the right side of decency.

The characters are all very well acted although Simon played by Alan Tudyk was definitely my favourite, completely out of his tree after accidentally taking acid.

Although I really enjoyed this film, I still found something not quite right with it. I really wasn't sure what it was until I read some other comments here and then I realised that it's really not a typical British film even though it's trying very hard to be one. The problem is a distinct lack of subtlety. If you watch any of the Ealing comedies or Carry-On films, you don't actually hear people cursing or see people covered in human excrement even though the implication might be there. It's as if the director lost confidence in the audience. Quite a shame really because he obviously knew what he was doing.

My expectations for this film were very high. I'm a sci-fi fan and it recently made a top ten list of sci-fi films. In the end I found it a mixture of excellence and drivel. The excellence includes Jodie Foster, always good value and she doesn't disappoint here. The plot is first rate too. Not completely original, being loosely based on 'This Island Earth' but takes it in a new and interesting direction.

So the film obviously started on the right track but then the makers went down to their local 'film-scripts-R-us' where they spent approximately £1.50 and the result was worth every penny. The first 30 minutes of the film is totally irrelevant. I found one very small event that had something to do with the main plot but you would miss even that if you blinked. The middle part of the film is a series of unconnected sub-plots that leave you wondering when the main feature is going to start. We also have the Hollywood Standard Romance (TM) bolted on the side which clutters an already cluttered film. The result of all this is a film that feels way too artificial and I didn't get any feeling of involvement.

The mystery and action when it did eventually start was crammed into the last part of the film and left more questions than it answered. There seems to be a fairly significant plot hole as well. Not wishing to give anything away but consider the message that was sent and then the explanation of it later on. Doesn't add up.

Yet somehow in all this chaos is a really original idea. I just wish the makers would have had a bit more courage to make more of it.

I really don't understand why I liked this movie but I did. It's daft, the plot is completely unbelievable and the acting is over the top in places but somehow it just all falls together and it's a really fun movie.

Perhaps it's the dysfunctional family (simpsons anybody?) or the way tough-guy Vin Diesel plays his character tongue-in-cheek. Whatever, this movie is full of laughs and the acting is great all round. The kids all give good performances and their characters are more believable than in most movies.

I don't usually like these type of movies (Kindergarten cop had me squirming in my seat) but this is definitely recommended if you don't want something too taxing on the brain.