Un faire-part à part

Jack Warden is patriarch of an Irish clan. When he passes away, lives are turned upside down and the fun begins. The ensemble cast is up to the challenge of believing their cliches just enough to sell them effectively to their audiences. Pamela Reed and Nancy Travis are standouts. Bizarre situations abound. I've now seen it twice, and enjoyed it immensely each time.

OK, there may be some material that is questionable as to whether its funny but all in all Passed Away is a very good movie. And the cast is top notch. Maureen Stapleton as the family matriarch is sweet, funny, and wise -- reminiscent of her role in Johnny Dangerously. William Petersen is wonderful as the well-meaning but empty-headed brother. Bob Hoskins, Pamela Reed and Frances McDormand give solid performances as the rest of the family. The jokes and barbs fly as the characters deal with the sudden death in the family and the twists each of their lives has experienced. Anyone with a quirky family will find Passed Away well worth the viewing.

Passed Away is a slow at times but very funny film. Made in the best traditions of a carry on film, I could see Sid James in the role of Johnny Scanlan, with Barbara Windsor as the mysterious woman in black, Hattie Jacques as the mother and Charles Hawtrey as the vicar. The first half of this film is a little slow, but persevere and enjoy the laughs that come thick and fast in the second half, and to top it all off, it has a real feel-good ending.

When Jack Scanlan, the head of a "normal" Irish family dies suddenly, everyone turns to the oldest son, Johnny (Bob Hoskins) to be the new family decision-maker. Everyone is having their own issues and power struggles within the family. All the family believe Johnny can take over for Dad; however, Johnny can't handle the sudden pressure and decides that it is time for a mid-life crisis. Mayhem ensues as all the problems come to a head at Jack's wake. Before Johnny can handle the family's problems he has to come to grips with his own problems and accept his new role in the family.

Passed Away already had a good amount going for it due to some great casting and that it contained some story strands that when done well could be easily relatable and fun. Passed Away is an entertaining film definitely but it could have been a hilarious one.

For my liking, the film did feel at times like there were too many characters, a few of them quickly introduced and with not enough time spent on them. In particular Jack Warden's, if with longer screen time it would have made what impact he had on the other characters a little more believable. The film is mostly well-paced but sometimes, like in the first half, is like being in start-stop-start traffic. And not all the situations work, Bob Hoskins' situation is very easy to relate to but felt a little underdeveloped and while Tim Curry does a good job a few of Boyd's scenes came over as a little awkward.

However, a vast majority of the time works very nicely. It's very nicely filmed and the scenery and such are lovely. Richard Gibbs' music is a good fit and while it doesn't stay in one's mind for a long time it's not obtrusive or forgettable either. The script is well above average, high in witty quips and gets wackier and wackier in a delicious way. The story is quite neatly told and most of the situations do work, especially William Petersen's personal and professional problems, Pamela Reed's passion for embalmer Peter Riegert and liberated nun Frances McDormand's deadpan Marxism. Passed Away is solidly directed by Charlie Peters and has an exceptional ensemble cast, with the standouts being William Petersen, Nancy Travis, Frances McDormand and Maureen Stapleton. The late Bob Hoskins is no slouch either carrying the film, Peter Riegert is always good value and Pamela Reed and Tim Curry do reliably.

In conclusion, an uneven film but an entertaining one also. 7/10 Bethany Cox