Audiences unfamiliar with Frank Oz's 2007 original film by the same title will find guilty laughs at Neil Labute's less funny remake.
The conceit of Labute's redo lies in transplanting the original's setting from the UK to America, and replacing the original version's all-white cast with a largely African American group of actors that include Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, and Tracy Morgan.
Only Peter Dinklage returns to his role from the Frank Oz film as the former gay lover of the deceased at a family funeral, where Dinklage's character attempts to blackmail the family with incriminating photos.
Screenwriter Dean Craig updates his own comedy of errors but much of the original's humor gets lost in the translation. If you've seen the original, there's no reason to see this tiresome remake.
Rated R. 92 mins.
