Customer Reviews

Eulogy

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed watching EULOGY, a dark comedy about a family who is reunited when the male patriarch of the family passes away. To be honest, when I saw the cast and the well-trodden plot description, I was not expecting anything stellar. But the film exceeded my expectations and manages to find some breathing room and originality in its short 91 minutes. The plot of EULOGY, as every reviewer has described, is not complex. Director Michael Clancy manages to pull you into the dysfunctional lives of these characters and let you be a fly on the wall to their hilarious and ridiculous fights.

One interesting aspect of the film is its treatment of death. You don't always expect to have any serious message coming from a comedy, but EULOGY has one. While everyone has come to this funeral on the pretense of mourning their father, the occasion becomes a time for them all to mourn their own lives and failures. It is a natural message enough: obviously, a death in the family makes one painfully aware of one's own mortality. However, there is something added in this film. No one seems to be truly sorry to see the old man go, except the granddaughter who seems to have a distorted view of him. Perhaps, the fact that they have all gathered to "honor" the death of a man they did not openly love forces them to realize the lack of love and connection they have in their own lives. Will we be mourned at the end of our lives?

Now, I am not trying to sift EULOGY for some deep meaning or message. But hidden behind all of the comedy and the hilarious (and absurd) dialogue, there is some real emotion to be had in these scenes. Having not expected any, I was surprised and pleased by the end result. My only major criticism of the film is the forced love story between the granddaughter and an old fling of hers. It seems tacked onto the film unnaturally and serves only to snap the teenager out of her false world of mourning to join the rest of her family. If you have the opportunity to see it, I would highly recommend this film to you.

Odd that one of the recurring themes for television series, plays, cartoons, and movies is the American dysfunctional family. Odd, and sad that what in previous years used the same concept for meaty tough dramas like, for one example, O'Neil's 'Long Days Journey into Night'. Now those same issues that used to be private and painful and not concepts that families would openly share with a public have become fodder for zany, over the top, toilet-mouthed comedies.

Such is the case for EULOGY. In essence the story is a matter a few days in the Collins family whose three generations have gathered for the funeral of the patriarch Edmund Collins (Rip Torn), each with their own issues of disenchantment with the world and each caught up in the ME FIRST pathology that precludes healthy relationships - save one: granddaughter Kate (Zooey Deschanel) daughter of ex-child actor Daniel (Hank Azaria) who seems the most solidly adjusted of the bunch and is therefore the one elected to write and speak the Eulogy for the funeral.

The Grandmother Charlotte (Piper Laurie) is suicidal (who wouldn't be in this family environment?) and the remainder of the family includes smarmy Skip (Ray Romano playing Ray Romano), Skip's twin sons Fred and Ted (Curtis and Keith Garcia), lesbian sister Lucy (Kelly Preston) and her lover Judy (Famke Janssen),
and the controllingly vile sister Alice (Debra Winger). Throw these disparate characters into the bowl, add the fishfood script by Michael Clancy (who also directs) and voila! - out comes a fast-paced, half-baked comedy that finds the audience hungry for laughter even over embarrassing choices of jokes. The cast is fleshed out with performances from Glenne Headly, Jesse Bradford, and Rene Auberjonois.

Yes, the film has its funny moments: it is sad that the comedy is always at the expense of individual character flaws that are not inherently funny. But with a cast of this quality you can be assured that the project is worth watching, if only to see the talented Debra Winger once again in action! Grady Harp, March 05

Newcomer Michael Clancy makes his debut as writer-director with one of the darkest, and funniest, comedies of the year, "Eulogy." The premise is simple - three generations come together for the funeral of the family patriarch. Grandpa has just passed and the clan gathers at Grandma's house to prepare for the ceremonious occasion and, of course, to write the eulogy. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much of a positive nature to be said about Gramps; actually, there doesn't seem to be too much to be said of a positive nature about anyone in the family. Just ask them! And it's this delectable portrayal of multi-generational dysfunctional bickering, secrets, backstabbing, finger-pointing and one-upsmanship that makes this film work. (Did Clancy visit my family recently? I wonder.)

Eldest son, Skip Collins is anything but lovable. With lawyer with a dour face and personality to match, if he ever smiled his face would crack. And making his family even more blessed, he has two obnoxious twin sons that give new meaning to the term "hell on wheels." Daniel is a wannabe actor whose biggest claim to fame is one peanut butter commercial he did as a child. Seems now the only work he can grab is as a wannabe porn star. Daughter Lucy brings the shock factor to the table when she arrives with her lesbian lover (and provides even more fuel for the comic fodder) while eldest daughter, control freak Alice does her usual best at trying to run the show and all the while wishing she was "anywhere here." And let's not forget Grandma who herself has a bit of a suicidal streak. Rounding out the brood are the various spouses and grandchildren, especially Katie, who was the apple of her grandfather's eye. Katie has the dubious honor of overseeing the preparation of the eulogy - and on keeping tabs on her "beloved" relatives.

As the family sits around the dinner table to write the eulogy, catch up, insult, berate, try to write the eulogy, criticize, confront, antagonize and ultimately, try again to write a eulogy, we start to understand why Grandpa was so distant with his heirs and why no one can think of anything nice to say about the man. Seems Grandpa had as many secrets, if not more, than the beloved family he has left behind.

Ray Romano, of whom I have never been too impressed, is perfect as Skip. So familiar as the lovable Raymond from television, he is the complete opposite here and it comes as a pleasant surprise. Hank Azaria is, as usual, over the top as he plays the part of Daniel to the hilt pushing the envelope to his most obnoxious best. A real coup was the casting of semi-retired Debra Winger as Alice whose natural freneticism makes the character even more believable. But it is Zooey Deschanel as Katie who stands out as the real winner in this ensemble. Blending a nice balance of heartfelt emotion and sincerity with the more acerbic family traits she, more than anyone else, connects most with the audience. And of course, Piper Laurie and Rip Torn as Grandma and Grandpa are beyond hysterically funny.

A stellar cast, albeit seemingly overqualified for their roles at times, keep the story moving along at an enjoyable pace and deliver some classic performances with deadpan comic timing. The dichotomy of the mean-spirited family members and the serenity of the beautiful New England setting plays up to the dark comedy of the film's intent. Clancy's script, allegedly based on some of his own family experiences (hopefully, a bit over-exaggerated here) is witty to the core, and although it never quite attains the level of being a consistently dark comedy, he definitely hits the darker end of the gray scale with every utterance.

Adding to the meld of dialogue and delivery, are the antics and events that provide fuel for even more cutting family wackiness and sarcasm. Who can resist a good guffaw at Grandma attempting suicide (for the second time and never really serious about it) by jumping off a bridge - only to land on top of a car in which some untoward happenings are taking place with a younger relative? Or a husband forced by his wife to sit at the kiddie table? (I can just see my one sister-in-law doing that to my brother!) And of course, just when you think you've seen it all, how about seeing your mother baring it all on the "big screen"? At while times it may seem never ending, it's always funny.

Akin to two of my favorite "family" films, "Home for the Holidays" and "Greedy", "Eulogy" is guaranteed to a touch a cord in everyone who sees it. Be it you thank your lucky stars for a kind loving "normal" family or you jump up and yell "Hallelujah!" that your family, while quirky in its own right, is nowhere near the depths of the Collins family, you can't help but find elements that draw you into the family circus. Witty, cutting, biting and at its heart, actually very endearing and loving (although Clancy never sells out to saccharine), this film reminds me of my own family (and oh so much more than you know). When asked by a guest at my brother's wedding if my brother and I didn't like each other given the insulting remarks we continually made, my father replied, "If they didn't behave like that, then we'd have a problem." Such is the Collins family. The ultimate eulogy here: A family's love isn't always expressed in hearts and flowers. Sometimes, nothing says "family" like dysfunction and the sting of a little rapier wit.

Skip Collins: Ray Romano Daniel Collins: Hank Azaria Lucy Collins: Kelly Preston Alice Collins: Debra Winger Grandma Collins: Piper Laurie Grandpa Collins: Rip Torn

Written and directed by Michael Clancy. Rated R. (91 min)

I haven't laughed this hard since "Blazing Saddles". Truly a unique, and very funny movie. Whoever you are, you owe it to yourself to go see this flick, once twice, three times and every once in awhile for life. It is destined to be a classic. One word of caution, don't bring the kids unless they are old enough to vote.

With its mordant, caustic humor and its sardonic and scornful wit, Eulogy certainly has its fair share of laughs. The movie is a clever comedy of family dysfunction, and is quite heartwarming in its own bizarre, comedic way. Funerals are not the happiest of occasions, but in this film, the family funeral of the traveling salesman, world-weary Collins patriarch (Rip Torn) gets a irreverent makeover, as his grown children gather together with their bratty offspring to console their pill-popping widow, Charlotte (Piper Laurie), who is now determined to commit suicide to join her husband.

Just like any healthily dysfunctional family they revert back to their childhood personas and have a weekend of family bickering for old-times sake. There's Daniel (Hank Azaria), a perennial dope smoker and a once famous child actor, who is now relegated to performing in adult films; Skip (Ray Romano) and his naughty and mischievous twin boys; Lucy (Kelly Preston), who has brought home her fiancé Judy (Famke Janssen); and Alice (a fabulous Debra Winger), who is so bossy and wound so tighter than a knot that her husband and children are literally afraid to speak.

The narrator and sanest of them all is the gorgeously wide-eyed Kate (Zooey Deschanel). She is asked to delivery her grandfather's eulogy and she struggles with the responsibility, but after a few days asking questions about their lives and discovering a dark family secret, she comes up with the perfect words to say - if only she can get them out before the family ruins the funeral.

There are all sorts of madcap and dysfunctional antics, as the siblings unleash years of pent-up animosity on one another. For years Alice has, for some unexplained reason, been resentful of Lucy's lesbianism, and poor Lucy has endured constant taunts; this of course climaxes with a nock down drag out fight one evening at the dinner table. But it's not all anger and mayhem: Kate reconnects with an old summer love (Jesse Bradford), Alice meets a friend from her past, and Skip's twin boys get their own private lessons in sex education.

The strength of Eulogy is the fine ensemble cast, and there's a great sense of believability - one can honestly accept as true that these people are a real family. Each actor exaggerates and inflates his role to great effect. Debra Winger is especially funny as Alice - she's a motor mouthed, obnoxious control freak and most viewers will experience a mixture of shock and riotous disbelief as she angrily spews profanity at Skip's boys when they turn their noses up at her cooking.

All the actors obviously relish playing bad, but throughout the last part of the movie, there's a sort of half-hearted attempt to instill some honest sentimentality into the proceedings. It's all too little too late, as most viewers will probably feel that the damage has already been done. Mike Leonard April 05.

The family's patriarch dies suddenly, and the splintered family hesitantly regroups to mourn the loss. With old issues and new lives firmly intact, they all attempt to put up with each other and discover their true feelings about their choices, each other and their father - played typically well, though sparingly, by Rip Torn. The cast is excellent, with always funny Hank Azaria playing a one-hit-wonder child star who can only get parts in porn movies, as the guy reacting to the others having sex. Kelly Preston plays the angry lesbian sister scorned by the other sister, played by Debra Winger. These two do a great job of hating each other and have maybe the best girl fight I've seen in a movie. Everyone else in the cast turn in good performances, including Piper Laurie as the hilariously suicidal mother, but Ray Romano surprised the hell out of me with an excellent performance that just may have shined the brightest. I haven't been a Romano fan until now.

The family relations are convoluted, the performances excellent, the writing hilarious and the ending truly surprising. Don't miss this movie.

This is the most hilarious movie since "Blazing Saddles." I laughed until my sides hurt. I was never a fan of Ray Ramano until I saw this movie. What ever you do, don't leave the theater until the final scene!

When people think about their favourite film, they will usually recall in particular, one scene or one line of dialogue or in rare cases, the power of one particular shot. Rarely, if ever, is continuity mentioned. A film's smoothness and "flow" is very important however, and is the main thing that excludes (Eulogy) from being viewed as a great film.

Eulogy is, however, a film that is highly recommended. There are some truly memorable scenes, as well as some great performances from seasoned actors committed to creating memorable characters. First time director and writer Michael Clancy appears able to bring out the best in his cast and director of photography Michael Chapman (who has worked on such films as Raging Bull and Kindergarten Cop), contributes greatly to the aesthetically pleasing "look" of the film, which never intrudes in such a way as to compromise the actors' performances.

When Kate Collins (Zooey Deschanel) and her father Daniel (Hank Azaria) visit the family home for the funeral of Daniel's father and Kate's grandfather, Kate's grandmother Charlotte (Piper Laurie) asks her granddaughter to deliver the eulogy. The fact that none of Edmund Collins' children are chosen for the task, reveals their mother's realisation that a dysfunctional family has been raised. Her suicide attempts do nothing but act as a catalyst which heightens the tension and helps set the stage for an exploration of both the lunacy and the wonder that often invades and defines families.

Hank Azaria, most recently of Simpson's fame (the voice behind Moe Slezak, Chief Clancy Wiggum and Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, among others) heads a cast of characters which includes Debra Winger, Ray Romano, Piper Laurie, Famke Jansen and Rip Torn. There are also performances from two character actors always welcome on the small or large screen (Rance Howard is the solicitor acting as trustee for the estate of the late Edmund Collins, and Rene Auberjonois whose role as minister officiating at the funeral service is very amusing).

Of particular mention also are Curtis and Keith Garcia as the irascible and hormonal sons of Skip Collins (Ray Romano) and Debra Winger's expression-filled but very "under the thumb" husband who only manages one word in the whole film.

Unforgettable scenes in the film are the rumpus/ pool room scene where Hank Azaria, Ray Romano and Famke Jansen shine, or in the relived romance between adolescent sweethearts played by Zooey Deschanel and Jesse Bradford, or indeed in EVERY scene where Debra Winger's character explodes.

Eulogy is a light look at what can be the quirkiness of family life while never losing sight of both the hurts and the memories which often accompany it.

If you enjoy the bizarre humor and dark comedy of either the Coen or Farrelly Brothers or the quirkiness of Tim Burton, have I got a film for you! 2nd-time director, 1st-time writer Michael Clancy has put together an interesting combination of film and TV actors for his newest movie called "Eulogy."

After seeing the serious, yet well-made film "The Final Cut" earlier in the week, another movie dealing with the subject of "death" seemed to be a bit depressing. Lucky for me, this crazy piece of comedy kept me laughing through most of the movie. Sure, if you try to be proper, politically correct or just plain quiet about your dark little fetishes, then "Eulogy" is best seen at home, in private. If you don't mind laughing in public at some twisted moments or taking your spouse out to show them how dysfunctional a family really can be and that your family is normal in comparison, then watch guilt-free.

"Eulogy" begins with Kate Collins (Deschanel) trying to tell a woman about something sad that has happened. The film immediately resorts to a flashback
to tell the story of the recently deceased Edmund Collins (Rip Torn) and the surviving Collins family: Charlotte (Piper Laurie), his widow; Daniel (Azaria), his thespian son whose career peaked at an early age and his daughter Kate; Skip (Romano), his loser son who may be a lawyer and who has twin boys with raging hormones; Lucy (Preston), his lesbian daughter who brings her girlfriend, Judy (Janssen) to the funeral; Alice (Winger), his oldest daughter who is a control freak with some serious issues.

The siblings don't get along and are constantly at each other's throat, driving their mother to the brink of suicide. The twins are turned on by their Aunt Charlotte and Judy. Alice's husband and children are possibly all mutes and Kate is trying to write a eulogy as part of her grandfather's dying wish. The other part has to do with his "burial at sea." About the only tie the family does get along is when the parents sneak around, smoking pot, trying to remember good times and forget the suckiness that is their modern lives. Remember - The family who tokes together jokes together.

It's difficult to explain the various and odd things that happen without giving away the laughs, but suffice it to say, everyone has their moment in this film, including the seemingly normal Kate. And I'm willing to bet that you'll recognize certain familial traits and point fingers at your next family get together.

This was a funny movie. The only problem I had with the movie is the constant smoking pot did they really need the whole family getting high. Anyway the lesbians were nice. Zooey Deschanel, Glenne Headly, Famke Janssen, Kelly Preston, and Debra Winger are hot.