Every crappy movie remake is like a blow to the gut. There’s always that hope that the remake will right the wrongs of the original. After all, that’s what remakes are for: to retain the alluring premise while tweaking the machinery around it. So ideally, the new “Death at a Funeral” should have revamped the original’s flaws and presented the material in a polished, charming manner. The only problem is that there was never anything wrong with the first.

"Death at a Funeral"

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“Death at a Funeral” follows the same story as the 2007 British original. Aaron (Chris Rock, “Head of State”) is stressed out. His father has just passed away, and he is burdened with shouldering the cost of the funeral himself until his brother (Martin Lawrence, “Wild Hogs”), a famous writer, can pay him back. Between the escalating costs of the funeral, the down payment for a new home Aaron is interested in purchasing and his wife’s steady persistence on having a baby, Aaron barely has time to grieve for his father. Compounding Aaron’s problems are the arrival of his dysfunctional family members and the sudden appearance of a stranger. The stranger blackmails Aaron, and soon chaos breaks loose as Aaron desperately tries to keep the man’s secrets from reaching the family.

The “Funeral” remake is a mirror copy of the first. Many of the jokes are the same, including some of the lines verbatim. But this is really odd considering the original is a classically British comedy, and the remake is just ... not. Whether it’s the terrible acting or the inability to emulate British eloquence, the jokes just aren’t delivered properly. The whole attempt comes off as trite and pathetic.

The lack of comedic timing casts a shadow on what otherwise would have been a dynamic cast. It’s almost certain that these big names were brought together only to attract audience members and nothing more. The wasted talent is a particularly huge letdown considering there are few moments when the actors really embody their distinct personalities. For instance, there are times when Tracy Morgan (“30 Rock”) breaks character and reverts to his loud, unabashed man-child roots. These moments, while absolutely hilarious, are too few to hit home.

For those who are unfamiliar with the original movie, the “Funeral” remake would probably be a better experience, but not by much. Plot twists aside, the movie lacks a potential feature that only a nearly all-black cast can bring — black humor. Not dark humor, but black humor. If more of an effort were made to focus on the film's uniquely black cultural context, it would've prevented the stellar cast from being simply stand-ins for their British counterparts.

There was never any reason to remake “Funeral” in the first place. Without any enhancement whatsoever, the remake is the less talented twin of the original. It unnecessarily sacrifices its cast and relinquishes any uniqueness it may have had. The film ultimately serves as its own grim reaper and ends up digging its own grave.