A Texas Funeral (1999)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Must See Movie...

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

I'm on the fence with this movie. I picked this up in a $5 4-movie pack; so I wasn't expecting much, and for that I can't fault it. The film paints a nice image of 1960s (err...1950s) Texas, which both serves as a great setting and the film's main problem. The gritty farm where most of the film takes place in the midst of nighttime gives off the sense of death (the Funeral the title is referencing), yet there are many instances of this deathly tone being directly contradicted. Without giving anything away, this film has numerous over-the-top scenarios (exotic animals and weird fetishes) that it overuses to the point of intentional farce, yet it takes them extremely seriously. You wonder if it is purposely humorous for most of the way through as there are so many laughs to be had but no indication of comedic recognition. The final thing is the cast. All of them do their jobs, with Martin Sheen obviously having the best bits; the only problem is that they all represent a polarized 50s stereotype (yes, 50s. Even though its supposedly set in the late 60s it REALLY feels the decade before). There's no characters to relate with, except for the little boy, played by Quinton Jones. Even he though seems a little off for most of the film, with unnecessary quirks of every character rampant throughout. It's not a terrible film and you'll get some entertainment out of it, but probably not how the filmmakers intended. It certainly isn't worth any money by itself.

The performances are excellent. I did not even recognize Olivia D'Abo.It would be impossible to explain the plot of this film, and that is one of the reasons why I like it so much.The film touches on the importance of family ties, without being sappy. It touches on the the importance of forgiveness, without being preachy.It has plenty of "quirky" characters and situations, but not so much as to make them ridiculous. That is not to say that they are not absurd, and that is a good thing.It is not a ghost story as some synopses might cause one to believe. (Albeit, I might not have watched it if it were not for my being given that idea from a Comcast blurb.) I recommend A Texas Funeral to anybody who likes films that have plots that are difficult to detect in which direction they are going to go, but are a joy to follow.

Given how long this film took to get from filming to any sort of release (and I'm still not sure how widely it was ever released in theaters) I had feared that it would be a stinker. I followed it because one of my vintage cars was used in filming, and I'd just about given up on ever actually seeing the finished product. My car never made it on screen, having been barely out of frame in a scene set at a hospital, but the movie turned out to be quite, quite good. I wonder how well it might play outside of Texas, and seriously doubt it would have much international attraction, but for me it was a breath of fresh air. Characters full of enough eccentricities to be actual Texans like me, but not the typical overblown 'Hollywierd' caricatures of Texans that make me sick. Somewhere in the production crew, there was obviously someone with at least a fair understanding of Texas folklore and culture. Not quite the skill and depth of Tim McCanlies' Texas-based movies ('Seconhand Lions' and 'Dancer Texas' which for me set the standard by which all Texas-based films should be judged) but still with a similar feel.

"A Texas Funeral" could have been better, but there wasn't anything resoundingly bad about it. It was a quirkily comical view of a family reunion brought about by the death of the family's atriarch, and the characters had an authentic 1960's Texas flavor to them.Everyone except grandma had at least one moment of personal revelation, and everyone got something good out of the deal. It was a pretty "feel good" kind of movie, and it was sufficiently funny to compensate for its lack of depth.If you see rent this on video as an excuse to eat hot buttered popcorn, you won't be disappointed. If you are expecting great cinema, you will be.