ongoing

You'll immediately think of "Four Weddings and a Funeral," as you approach "Death at a Funeral," also a black comedy based in London. Perhaps a blacker comedy. It all takes place at the funeral of a father who is revealed to have had a secret life, a life that is threatened to be exposed by Peter Dinklage, the best known "little person" in film and tv. And, my god, how expressive he is. You'll remember him from "Nip/Tuck." But the plot about the late father's secret life is just a piece of this pie. There's a bottle of pills, mistakenly thought to be Valium by all who open it - and take one or more - and it's really been loaded with a powerful hallucinogenic by another character. Simon, one of the folks who swallowed one ends up, freaking out, naked on top of a roof, threatening to jump or fly. There's a successful-writer-brother-in-New York vs. the staid-stay-at-home-brother who's taken more care of the family. There's a myriad of other twisted subplots, paranoid encounters, a crotchety old guy in a wheel chair (warning: he's involved in a cringe-worthy poop joke) and a lot more. This is directed by the well-respected Frank Oz. Is this an A-level film? Not quite. It is all set pretty much set at the funeral, so you feel a little claustrophic at times, and you're certainly going to want to reach out from your seat and smack one or two of the characters across the face to smarten them up. (This rarely works, I realize.) But "Death at a Funeral" is a mostly sharp and funny romp. Also, makes you wish you could plan your own funeral. It's at  the West Newton Cinema and the Capitol in Arlington. Check showtimes at sites below or www.boston.mrmovies.com

 WNC, 1296 Washington St., W. Newton, 617-964-6060 www.westnewtoncinema.com Capitol, 204 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington, 781-648-4340