You’ve got me too. I was splitting in my chair in the theater!
Does seem odd to be remaking it so soon though.
OTOH, Bones basically did a requel episode of it already…
Mentioned already but I’m going to say it-
This remake is for a black audience, 99% of whom never even heard of the original let alone saw it.
You’ve got three of the biggest black comedy stars in a comedy about a funeral which is going to hit a lot of tropes of wailing and boisterious black religiousity.
Thought the original was terrible. At some point early on I said to my fiance, “If they knock the casket over, we’re turning it off…” Sure enough, not even five minutes later we turned it off.
The black remake looks better than the original, honestly.
My friend recently pointed this out this remake to me, and it’s quite amusing:
The old trailer vs. New Trailer.
It’s quite amusing actually.
Actually I think I would enjoy both versions.
i can imagine the outrage if someone did a remake of a madea film with an all white cast…
This is a common sentiment. I never understand it. Does an all-white cast then mean that a movie is made for a white audience?
So are you saying certain movies don’t try to aim for specific markets?
Sure they do. Such as this one, aimed at fans of broad comedy.
oh please!!
I generally enjoyed it but it was a “Just okay” film (the English version). I agree that it’s odd to remake such a recent film but there is room for improvement. I hope Chris Rock cuts the ‘shit’ scene. (I won’t give any more as it may be a spoiler, but I will say that it was more gross-out than funny to me.)
I don’t have high hopes though; Chris Rock can be hysterical on stage when he’s not just yelling and rehashing old material, but his humor doesn’t convey to screen, at least not in the movies I’ve seen. I think it’s because he’s too used to being a one man show and thus hams it up too much.
If you think it so obvious, you shouldn’t have trouble explaining it. If it helps, try explaining it to someone like me who has no knowledge of either film.
didn’t realize it needed explaining. the posts seem to speak for themselves. i’m also curious why a remake of a film with virtually the exact same script, was released only three years after the first one and the only difference is that the actors are all black this time. unless there is some other difference i’m unaware of, i think its weird. a double standard even. saying that this adaptation is merely to appeal to a “broad” audience of comedy is a bit off putting…
We don’t live in a “post-racial” society. There is a separate audience for black-themed films. I give you the career of Tyler Perry as evidence.
The original Death at a Funeral made a total of $8.5 million in the U.S. The all-black version will make more than that the first day. There won’t be more than a few percent overlap in attendance. Of course it’s a good idea to remake that film this way. A whole new audience exists.
It’s not an all-black cast. Two of the major roles (not counting Peter Dinklage’s character) are played by white actors - James Marsden and Luke Wilson.
I don’t think you paid very close attention to the trailers. It’s definitely not the exact same script - same situation, yeah, but the dialog is very different. This makes a big difference between the two films.
What makes is this a black-themed film? The cast? The themes are universal. The very premise of this thread is about the themes being co-opted from the original movie.
They did this with Life on Mars as well.
When I learned the film was being remade I had hoped they’d cut the old man diarrhea scenefrom the original, but judging from the trailer, nope. You see the lead-up (with Danny Glover now in the role).
Chris Rock is a comedian who can be hysterical onstage but somehow it doesn’t transfer to screen. About the best he’s done imo was Rufus the 13th Apostle; most of the movies he’s starred in were barely watchable due to his hamming. I think he must be of the “I sell out stadiums, why do I need to take acting classes?” mindset, but he’s best when he’s more restrained. In any case, maybe this will be the exception.