This is a hilarious comedy about a family getting together for a funeral, who find out their dead father had a gay dwarf as a lover. Matthew Macfadyen plays the lead character of Daniel. Daniel watches the pall-bearers bring a casket into the house for the wake. They open the casket so Daniel may view the body. It is not his father. They brought the wrong coffin. The go back to get the correct one. Daniel commiserates with his wife Jane (played by Keeley Hawes) about how much trouble they are having. Jane cannot wait until they have enough money to move out of the house of Daniel's parents to live on their own.
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Howard (played by Andy Nyman) and Justin (played by Ewen Bremner) are driving in a car on the way to the funeral. Howards asks Justin why is he even coming to the funeral, he barely knows Daniel, and must only be coming for Martha. Martha (played by Daisy Donovan) is driving with her fiancee Simon (played by Alan Tudyk). Simon is worried that Martha's father Victor (played by Peter Egan) hates him. Victor married the sister of the man who died. Troy (played by Kris Marshall) is an underground pharmacist. When Martha and Simon stop to pick up Troy, Martha gives Simon a pill to take from a bottle on Troy's table thinking it is Valium, but it is a new drug Troy has made, which causes hallucinations. Robert (played by Rupert Graves) arrives from New York. He is a writer. Daniel asks him for his half of the funeral expenses he promised to pay, but Robert says he spent all his money on the first-class flight over. This means Daniel will have to pay for the funeral expenses all alone, at a time when his wife keeps bugging him about putting a deposit on the new apartment. Howard and Justin stop on the way to pick up Uncle Alfie (played by Peter Vaughan), who is a crabby old man in a wheelchair.
Simon starts seeing things at the funeral and acting weird. He plays with the plants and trees in the garden. A dwarf named Peter (played by Peter Dinklage) comes to the funeral. He tells Daniel he knew his father, but no one in the family knows him. All the family expects Robert to give the eulogy because he is a writer, but Daniel wants to give it. Simon makes a fool of himself in front of Martha's father. Justin tries to get Martha interested in him again, but she brushes him off. The funeral service starts and Simon is climbing the walls. He hallucinates the coffin has moved. He knocks the coffin to the floor and the body rolls out. Martha's father demands she forget about marrying the lunatic Simon. Simon learns he has been drugged and goes into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. Justin tries to force himself on Martha by kissing her, which Simon sees. Simon goes out on the roof naked to commit suicide. Martha begs him not to jump because she is with child.
Peter tells Daniel, he had a secret love affair with his father and has pictures to prove it. When Peter does not get any money in the will, he blackmails Daniel and Robert for money. They tie Peter up and give him some of the hallucinogenic drug, thinking it is Valium. Peter gets free and goes crazy, jumping around then slips hitting his head. They think he is dead, so they hide him in the casket. The service continues. Daniel fumbles along giving the eulogy. Peter wakes up, comes out of the coffin with the photos flying everywhere, so everyone sees them. Everyone is shocked. Daniel is determined to remember his father in a good way and gives a touching eulogy. Robert agrees to take their mother to New York so she can give up the big house, which no one can afford. This means Daniel and Jane will finally be able to move to an apartment and have a place of their own. Jane tells them she gave Uncle Alfie a “Valium” to calm him down. Uncle Alfie goes out on the roof naked and marvels how green the garden looks by swearing about it.
Best part of story, including ending:
This is one of those stories where the dark humor is really funny in such an odd way.
Best scene in story:
I like the scene when the gay dwarf Peter, comes out of the casket dropping pornographic photos where everyone can see them. It is really funny.
Opinion about the main character:
Daniel is a sap, not really having much spine, but when he is challenged to remember his father with good intentions, he rises to the occasion.
