Chris Rock is known for breaking all of the rules in movie remakes. Tracy Morgan is known for breaking all of the rules … period.
So when the two teamed up to talk about their first big screen collaboration, Neil LaBute’s Death at a Funeral – which opens in theatres tomorrow – it was an interesting experience.
The two jumped from jokes to impersonations to sincere nuggets of wisdom about the ties that bind a family.
“I am Brian Fellows,” Tracy Morgan said, in the tone of his now classic character from his SNL days.
According to him, though, his character in Death at a Funeral couldn’t be any more different.
“My character is a lovable loser,” Morgan said. “He’s a frumpy diabetic cat with paranoid schizophrenic tendencies.”
It was hard to tell where the jokes ended and sincere responses actually began as off-the-cuff remarks flew freely between the two, often tag-teaming for the sake of amusing themselves.
“Only a few black men have gone through and survived the Jedi training of SNL,” Rock said in a voice that resembled Darth Vader after a few shots of Patron.
Morgan is teaming up with some of the heavy hitters for his most substantial film role among a black comedic ensemble. The film features an all-star cast of comedians and “blactors” including Martin Lawrence, Kevin Hart, Danny Glover, Zoe Saldana and Columbus Short.
And he felt the pressure.
“Being a part of this movie was like having a fight in the park with my big brothers there watching,” Morgan said. “I had to win.”
For Chris Rock to be considered as anybody’s straight man is almost laughable in itself, but such was the case as he and Morgan went back and forth about the film.
Unlike most film remakes, which usually have at least a 15 to 20 year grace period between original and update, Death at a Funeral was released in 2007.
“It’s more like a re-mix than a remake,” Rock said.
And while church plays and skits have included the “soulful” funeral experience for decades, Death at a Funeral is actually a British film that has been adapted to cater to African-American audiences.
“It’s a great movie, but the British are much more mannered with their comedy. We did the movie, and we wanted to add our flavor to it,” Rock said.
“We are over-the-top with it,” Morgan added.
“It’s kind of like when Aretha sings a Beatles song. Or like when Donny Hathaway sang ‘Jealous Guy’ (by John Lennon). Man, what he did with that song was crazy.”
But Rock says that the film will be something that all ages and races will enjoy.
“When I say ‘over the top,’ I don’t mean Soulplane,” Rock said. “We are two guys who have worked for mass audiences for more than a decade, so we know how to make it appealing to everyone.”
Rock didn’t name names, but said that recent black comedy films have been the same formula, with the same people doing the same things.
“We saw where films have been going, and we wanted to take it some place else,” Rock said.
“There are a lot of good twists and turns in this movie, and people in roles that you wouldn’t ordinarily see them in. Like Martin (Lawrence) – the character he plays isn’t what fans are used to seeing. It’s more along the lines of something Ben Stiller or Steve Carrell would do.”
They were careful, even in their informal improv, not to give away much in the film. But based on the synopsis, skeletons will fly from the coffin and beyond as jaw-dropping revelations and secrets come to light at the family patriarch’s home-going service.
“This movie is about acceptance and about family. Family keeps you honest, and it keeps you grounded,” Rock said.
“People should at least be out of the closet, at least in front of their own family,” Morgan added – offering the only major clue to the film’s theme.
“I want people to leave this film feeling like, ‘Aww, naww … my brother’s dead and somebody ate the potato salad,’ Rock said. “And I’m glad to be a part of it.”
‘Death at a Funeral’ opens in theatres nationwide tomorrow (Fri., Apr. 16). The film is rated R with a running time of 90 minutes.
