Ten, Death at a Funeral

THINKFilms
ADAM BRODY in “The Ten.”








'Ten,' 'Funeral' films good for a few laughs

MGM
RUPERT GRAVES and Matthew MacFadyen in “Death at a Funeral .”

OK folks, it’s time to add some whacky, irreverent but very funny films to your Netflix account.
If you aren’t easily offended and have stilted sense of humor, latch on to “The Ten” and “Death At A Funeral.”
“The Ten” is a series of whacky, almost Pythonesque stories loosely based on the 10 Commandments.
It starts with Adam Brody excited about his first jump from a plane. Out he goes, except he forgot his parachute.
He hits the ground and ends up alive with only his head sticking out. The doctor declares if they try to free him from the ground, he will die.
So he ends up the focal point of a bad situation comedy but loses his girl friend, played by Winona Ryder.
Then there’s the librarian, played by Gretchen Mol, who goes on a rare vacation and ends up having a passionate affair with Jesus Christ. She learns his identify when something falls from the boat they are having a romantic interlude in. He gets up and walks on the water to retrieve it. Remember, these films aren’t for the easily offended.
Ken Marino is a patient who kills a patient as “a goof” and is sentenced to prison when the judge gets bored with the testimony. He — um — becomes romantically involved with his roommate.
Meanwhile, Winona, who left her boyfriend stuck in the dirt, marries a newscaster, then leaves him on their honeymoon for a wooden puppet.
There’s an animated segment and a story about two neighbors who try to top each other by buying more Cat Scan machines.
Not to mention the narrator who leaves his wife during the film to have an affair with a dumb-but-sexy younger woman.
It’s a lot of zany fun that gets thrown at you in fast pace. If one thing isn’t funny for you, hold on, something else will be right behind.
That’s also sort of the premise for “Death At A Funeral.”
This British import was directed by Frank Oz and tells the story of an extended family mourning the loss of one of their own.
Daniel (played by Matthew Macfadyen) and Jane (Keeley Hawes) live with his parents but want their own flat. Then dad dies and all of the friends and relatives are invited to a dignified service at the ivy-covered family home. Well, when the mortuary brings the correct body.
As in “The Ten,” there’s lots of subplots to keep track of with hilarious results.
Daniel gets in a squabble with his self-centered brother, played by Rupert Graves, who is the successful author who now lives in New York City but refuses to do his dad’s eulogy.
Cousin Martha (Daisy Donovan) drags along her fiancé, who she thinks has taken a Valium but actually it’s LSD. He ends up nude on the roof walking around.
Then there’s dad’s special friend, Peter (played by midget Peter Dinklage.) He attempts to blackmail the brothers.
Let us not forget the cranky, ancient, crude uncle, played by Peter Vaughan.
When things get going, they get going. It’s sort of like the disaster that besets “Meet the Parents,” but this time at a funeral.
So pick up these films for a few belly laughs. They are unconventional, they are ingenious, they are imaginative. They are not politically correct.
That’s why they are worth watching.

THE TEN
Runtime: 96 minutes
Directed by David Wain
Rate R for pervasive strong, crude sexual content including dialogue and nudity
4 stars out of five

DEATH AT A FUNERAL
Runtime: 91 minutes
Directed by Frank Oz
Rated R for language, drug content and nudity
4 1/2 stars out of 5