Monday, October 14, 2013

Undertaking Betty [HD]



A great English comedy that has been criminally overlooked...
Death can be funny; at least it is in the small Welsh town of Wrottin-Powys, population 7,500. The town indeed has some zany and eccentric characters who seem to want to capitalize on our journey into the afterlife, not the least is big-haired eccentric funeral director Frank Featherbed (Christopher Walken) and his nerdy assistant Delbert (Lee Evans).

Frank and Delbert have a whole new angle going and have begun to offer to the townsfolk new types of funerals. Their latest catch is a "fantasy funeral" in which the deceased dream is realized in the service. One has a Star Trek theme because it was her favourite show, and another is a star on Broadway.

Alfred Molina's Boris Plotz is the rival undertaker who has been forced to hide his secret thirty-year crush on Brenda Blethyn's Betty Rhys Jones. They have always shared a passion for ballroom dancing, but the dutiful Betty's father insisted she marry Robert Pugh's self-important and arrogant Hugh, who was actually...

Totally silly in a good way
This movie is a riot. Stumbled onto it 15 minutes into it, but was immediately intrigued and had to watch. Watched it again a week later with my husband, and we laughed our butts off. The plot is ridiculous, of course, but clever and very funny. The casting was superb, as was the acting. It's great to see someone like Alfred Molina, who was such a...jerk...in Chocolat play such a tongue-in-cheek role, and Brenda Blethyn, as always, has fantastic comedic timing. This is destined to become a cult classic, just like her film Saving Grace. And Naomi Watts is great. Didn't even recognize her because she's so different in every role, but she plays the diabolical mistress to the hilt.

Highly recommend for a break from a stressful day.

Funny Movie
My husband & I saw this movie on a Princess cruise when it was titled PLOTS WITH A VIEW. I tried buying it after I got home, but it was not available in the US, until last year, with the title changed to UNDERTAKING BETTY.

It is rated "R", but I think it is wrong. There is no fowl language, but there are some scenes that young children shouldn't see. In this day and time, I would rate it PG-13.

I have watched it three times and I still laugh everytime I see it. It is a typical British comedy with hilarious situations.

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