Korean Job Discussion Forums

[fancypants]

i am doing a unit on cross cultural death customs/bereavement/expressing sympathy and i would like to show a film that depicts typical north american customs, preferably a comedy that would be "accessible" to high intermediate students (not too boring or erudite). i am at a loss!

any suggestions would be most appreciated.

[Newbie]

Four Weddings and a Funeral. (British... North American...same same)

Big Chill

[fancypants]

believe it or not, i haven't seen four weddings and a funeral. hugh grant bugs me. does it really have a lot of funeral content? i mean, it's 4 weddings and only 1 funeral...

[Fresh Prince]

Among the different American cultural funerals, I've always been fond of the Louisiana Jazz funerals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krJW2qMVv4M

[OculisOrbis]

Eulogy.

Film Review: EULOGY

Directed & Written by: Michael Clancy. Produced by: Steven Haft, Richard B. Lewis & Kirk D'Amico. Director of Photography: Michael Chapman. Edited by: Richard Halsey. Music by: George S. Clinton. Released by: Lions Gate. Country of Origin: USA/UK/Germany. 85 min. Rated: R. With: Hank Azaria, Zooey Deschanel, Glenne Headly, Piper Laurie, Kelly Preson, Ray Romano, Rip Torn & Debra Winger.

It takes a much more dire occasion than a holiday to force the Collins family together. The death of Grandpa Collins (Rip Torn) finally brings the embittered family members under the same roof. Kate (Zooey Deschanel) and her has-been actor father (Hank Azaria) find themselves stuck with Uncle Skip (Ray Romano), a sleazy lawyer who has raised two sons so equally vulgar that their own mother has abandoned them. His sister Lucy (Kelly Preston) arrives with her lesbian lover Judy, announcing they're to wed; this sets off uptight Aunt Alice (Debra Winger) on a rampage. The family's bickering turns into an all-out brawl, with every possible insult and betrayal coming out of the wood work. And as if the constant feuding weren't enough, Grandma Collins (Piper Laurie) seems bent on offing herself with increasingly creative methods. By the time the funeral rolls around the plot has taken dozens of bizarre twists.

Rich with laugh-inducing dialogue and eccentric characters, this is a madcap comedy at its blackest. Ray Romano proves to be funnier as a slimy creep than as his nice-guy sitcom persona, and deadpan Zooey Deschanel shines as the film's central character. The cast as a whole makes the careful balance of comedic timing and delivery seem like second nature. While the film often falls short on logic, it succeeds in laughs.

[blurgalurgalurga]

Death at a Funeral might be a bit much for the young students, but for university it would be fine. It involves lots of interesting social issues (drug abuse, class conflict, closet homosexuality, midgets, etc.) but it's pretty funny.
IMDB fives it a 7.4 out of 10, and lists its keywords as "Male Nudity / Farce / Midget / Pregnant / Wheelchair."
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0795368/

[Craven Moorehead]

The Funeral - Abel Ferrara

[tombirner]

Elizabethtown.

It's garbage, but it's light and funny (occasionally) and depicts Americans in the south (inaccurately but cutely). It's probably PG-13.

[kingpin]

There's a really interesting PBS Frontline documentary called "The Undertaking" (I think) available on bit torrent. Not a comedy, but an excellent look at the funeral process in North America.

[fancypants]

thanks for all the suggestions! you have all helped me a lot

[deadman]

[ultra]

Weekend At Bernie's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU6jTfWF8pQ

[Riddzy]

[dogbert]

"Kissed"

[Confused Canadian]

Though not much of a funeral scene (save the opening credits), "The Big Chill" is a favorite of mine that deals with many issues surrounding death.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085244/