A Texas Funeral

I'm on the fence with this movie. I picked this up in a $5 4-movie pack; so I wasn't expecting much, and for that I can't fault it. The film paints a nice image of 1960s (err...1950s) Texas, which both serves as a great setting and the film's main problem. The gritty farm where most of the film takes place in the midst of nighttime gives off the sense of death (the Funeral the title is referencing), yet there are many instances of this deathly tone being directly contradicted. Without giving anything away, this film has numerous over-the-top scenarios (exotic animals and weird fetishes) that it overuses to the point of intentional farce, yet it takes them extremely seriously. You wonder if it is purposely humorous for most of the way through as there are so many laughs to be had but no indication of comedic recognition. The final thing is the cast. All of them do their jobs, with Martin Sheen obviously having the best bits; the only problem is that they all represent a polarized 50s stereotype (yes, 50s. Even though its supposedly set in the late 60s it REALLY feels the decade before). There's no characters to relate with, except for the little boy, played by Quinton Jones. Even he though seems a little off for most of the film, with unnecessary quirks of every character rampant throughout. It's not a terrible film and you'll get some entertainment out of it, but probably not how the filmmakers intended. It certainly isn't worth any money by itself.

I bought this movie at Blockbuster for about 6 bucks, I thought that it was a western and since it had Sheen and Patrick in it I thought "EH why not?" The movie wasn't really what I expected but it kept me watching all the way through. This is a great dramatic comedy, the acting was great all-round! A bit of a different role for Chris Noth, but I couldn't help but like his character. The script was really well written and movie doesn't really ever "drag" on. The comedy was pretty decent and I didn't find the story overly predictable. Well worth the 2 hours and 6 bucks that I put into it. I'd definitely recommend this one. Enjoy

"A Texas Funeral" is one of those strange case of a small almost unnoticed film that gets the most brilliant acclaim from viewers here that see something peculiarly good about it enough to give it ten stars. Not my case. In fact, I think this was treated (in the very few reviews) a little bit overrated. But to each his or her own taste; I just don't see so much glory in this little picture. It's good, decent and pleasant.

I've seen this theme before and to be fair, most of the time it's treated in a empty and shallow way, lacking on cinematic depth, other times treated pretentiously, intending to be artful. "The Myth of Fingerprints", "Eulogy" or even "Elizabethtown" are all similar in a way. They are good films, just like this one, but they're never dig deep enough, they don't look real, the characters emotions and thoughts constantly mixed with beautiful soundtracks, great landscapes and the strange sense humor that takes control of people during funerals. The only recent film I can quote as being the most fascinating over a similar theme is "Fireflies in the Garden", very dramatic, involving and hilariously funny when needed, to break the tension.

"A Texas Funeral" is what the name says and it takes in the 1960's. A family reunion after the patriarch's death, played by Martin Sheen. Gathered here are a somewhat dysfunctional family (played by Jane Adams, Grace Zabriskie, Joanne Whalley, Robert Patrick, Chris Noth and others), the black medical doctor (Isaiah Washington) friend of the family and whose father worked in the family property, and the sick camel, the last survivor of a long lineup raised by the family since the Civil War. And there's the most interesting and significant member of this family the Little Sparta (Quinton Jones), a young boy that decides to don't speak after a reprehension from his father. The frightened, shy and very peculiar boy somehow is the only one who can see visions of his grandfather, who tells the family's story, revealing some secrets and he also asks the boy to make some things to him during his funeral. The involvement between them, and this magical element are among the best things in the movie that also has to deal with dirty family secrets, neurotic parents, jealousy and other assorted things that you'd probably seen it before.

But where's the challenge? If this was just to show that kids must face their fears in order to grow up and better individuals, or that all families have their problem and in a way they always work out and things are fine, then this just halfway through what could be a better movie. It could be worse considering that the writer had to include a family dispute over a saw and a tree that almost ended bad but then everybody laughed at themselves (this is s typical nowadays that is infuriating). As I said, could be. It doesn't get worse because one of the sisters starts to cry and exposes her pain to the others, which was a good moment.

Enjoyable because of Sheen, the kid, Robert Patrick playing someone a little different than his action roles, Noth makes us forget of Mr. Big for a moment and deserves some credit, and the great Grace Zabriskie, with one of the most surprising moments of the film revealing why she cheated her husband. It's a feel good project but it's not one of those that stays with you after it ends. 6/10

The performances are excellent. I did not even recognize Olivia D'Abo.

It would be impossible to explain the plot of this film, and that is one of the reasons why I like it so much.

The film touches on the importance of family ties, without being sappy. It touches on the the importance of forgiveness, without being preachy.

It has plenty of "quirky" characters and situations, but not so much as to make them ridiculous. That is not to say that they are not absurd, and that is a good thing.

It is not a ghost story as some synopses might cause one to believe. (Albeit, I might not have watched it if it were not for my being given that idea from a Comcast blurb.)

I recommend A Texas Funeral to anybody who likes films that have plots that are difficult to detect in which direction they are going to go, but are a joy to follow.

The ads suggest that this movie is a drama, or even a thriller- serious in tone, about serious stuff. I rented it because I liked the cast and was very pleasantly surprised to find that it was in fact a very funny and touching comedy-drama, about a bizarre but very likable family, that gathers in Texas to mourn the passing of its patriarch (Martin Sheen). The characters could have been made into caricatures to be laughed at, but instead are drawn with a gentle, touching hand that makes them feel like real people, likable in their own way. Give this one a look. It's extremely watchable and very funny, and filled with warm, wonderful performances.