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It was a week of SERIOUSLY R-rated comedies this week. Here's a look at the new films I reviewed.


Death at a Funeral
Starring: Danny Glover, Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Zoe Saldana, Columbus Short and Tracy Morgan
Quick Take: This film is a re-make of a British film of the same name. It revolves around the large funeral of a family patriarch and the drama wrought on his family by a stranger who has a BIG secret about the deceased. This is a tale of two films — for a while, it is slow to get started. But there are some HILARIOUS, and hilariously inappropriate sequences. For the most part the principle actors do a nice job. Rock does well in carrying the film as the "straight" man, and the supporting work by Short, James Marsden and others is strong. A little Tracy Morgan goes a long way, but they reign him in fairly well here.
Rating: R for language, drug content and some sexual humor.
Verdict: Three stars out of four.

Kick Ass
Starring: Aaron Johnson, Nicholas Cage, Chloe Moretz, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Quick Take: This is sort of a superhero spoof. The film centers on a group of people that decide to don costumes and fight crime. This isn't the first film to explore what would happen if ordinary people decided to fight crime, but the tone of this film is a little lighter — at least that's what they'd have you believe. "Kick Ass" is one of the most violent films I've seen this year, which puts it at conflict with itself. Elements of the tone and the film make it seem to be aimed at a teen audience, but the level of violence, salty language and sexual content makes appropriate for an adult audience only. There are moments that work with this film, but it's fair to say the filmmakers go too far at times.
Rating: R for strong brutal violence throughout, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity and some drug use - some involving children.
Verdict: Two stars out of four.

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