'Death at a Funeral,' the New Dark Comedy from Oz

Director Frank Oz has built quite a name for himself in the film industry. But for most people, it's not the name they remember — it's the voice.

While working with Jim Henson Productions, Frank Oz was Miss Piggy, the Cookie Monster and many other Muppets.

As a director, he was behind the lens for such star-powered movies as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Bowfinger.

For his latest picture, he assembled a cast little-known outside of the United Kingdom.

Keep up with LAist.

If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.

Subscribe

Death at a Funeral is a dark comedy about a family brought together by the passing of its patriarch. Upon arriving at the family's home in the English countryside, guests are treated to a series of unfortunate events — one more outrageous than the next.

A review in Variety magazine reads: "With a circus parade of mourning Brits and enough appalling circumstances to set proper Englishness back to the Dark Ages, Death at a Funeral pits decorum against sex, drugs and dysfunction."

Death at a Funeral opens next weekend.

Oz talks about the twisted black comedy — and about his career — with Debbie Elliott.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.