Loud-mouthed comedian Tracy Morgan and comedian/actor/producer Chris Rock prove that they are two birds of a feather in their latest comedic film, “Death At A Funeral.” The movie is a remake of a 2007 British film of the same name. While both scripts were written by Dean Craig, Neil LaBute (“Lakeview Terrace,” “The Wicker Man”) took the director’s chair this time around. Aside from Morgan and Rock, the film boasts an ensemble cast of talented actors and actresses like Zoe Saldana, James Marsden, Danny Glover and Columbus Short.
In the film, a family comes together during a funeral to commemorate the life of a husband and father. However, as the family and mourners get together, gossip is spread and confessions and secrets are revealed. The original film has since become a comedic hit and seems likely to do so a second time around, especially considering the amount of star power. It’s no doubt that the film is going to be different in many ways, especially considering the largely black cast, something that Rock acknowledges.
“The British are very mannered,” Rock said in an interview with The Eagle. “They’re very polite with their comedy. And this one, it’s not even a remake; it’s a remix. It’s a Timbaland remix. It’s a lot more blunt and a lot more — maybe a little more over-the-top in places, so it’s a funkier version. It’s like Aretha Franklin singing a Beatles song.”
And any film that contains the wild and hilarious Tracy Morgan is bound to be different. Morgan is quite possibly the furthest you could get from dry British humor. His characters are usually loud, outlandish and opinionated in the strangest ways, like his character on “30 Rock,” Tracy Jordan. In this film, Morgan plays Norman, a friend of the family who is also mourning.
“Norman, he’s a bit paranoid,” Morgan said in an interview with The Eagle. “He has a trace of schizophrenia in there and he’s crazy, but he’s a good dude at heart. He’s just a lovable loser.”
In his typical style, Morgan adds his own flavor to every film he does, and this remake was no exception.
“We did this movie, but we wanted to add our flavor to it,” Morgan said. “We wanted to complement — I wanted to complement the role I saw. And when I saw the cast that Chris and everybody had assembled, I was like ‘This is going to be the bomb, baby!’”
As the producer for the film, Rock picked Morgan out himself to join the star-studded cast.
The film was more enjoyable for Rock because of the ensemble cast of comedians and actors, considering the last film he did was the animated “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.”
“When you start out, you see comedians all the time in the clubs, comedy clubs, delis, diners,” Rock said. “Then people get families, they get the careers, you don’t see nobody. [But now] it’s like, I’m hanging out with Tracy. I’m hanging out with Martin [Lawrence]. Tommy Davidson and Will Smith came by the set, and it was hanging out. We were together, man.”
The ensemble nature of the film seems as though it will lend to the familial theme of the story, just like the original. But all differences from both films aside, Rock said this film is inclusive to anyone and everyone who loves comedy and has family troubles.
“I think that the audience for this movie — this is an American audience movie,” Rock said. “This is not soul play. This is for everybody. Me and Tracy are two guys that have worked for mass audiences for more than a decade, so I think the audience for this movie is a pretty big [one].”
It’s obvious that this film was a labor of love for both actors and a vehicle for a new kind of comedy. “Death at a Funeral” opens in theaters everywhere Friday.
You can reach this staff writer at ydesta@theeagleonline.com.
