FuzzyCo

In the wake of Minutegate, I promise you that my policy at FuzzyCo has always been that I don't review a movie (for as shabby of values of "review" as we see around here) unless I've seen the whole thing. (Erica and I got sucked into Back to the Future 3 on Encore on Saturday night but I won't be writing about it, because we came in at about 20 minutes in.) But what I can't promise you, however, is that I've watched a movie in one sitting. I watch most TV shows and movies that I do see when I'm on the train, which means that I get about 35 consecutive minutes in a viewing. (The other day my train stopped for 10 minutes outside of Belmont, which meant that I got to watch a complete episode of House in one sitting.) And then when you factor in my problem with watching socially awkward situations -- OK, so have I talked about that before?

I find it really hard to watch socially awkward situations. And it happens a lot, especially in comedies -- like when the nerd is about to be humiliated in front of the whole class or Michael Scott opens his mouth. If I'm on my own, I'll pause the TV every 30 seconds or so and fidget around the room. I love The Office, but the only way I can make it through an episode is to watch it with Erica, so that I'm socially constrained myself and need to just sit and watch the darn thing.

So, anyway, back to Death at a Funeral -- this gentle English comedy (directed by Frank Oz of all people) derives most of its humor from the awkwardness and tension at a funeral and so it took me weeks to watch the whole thing. Which, I'm sure, affects my perception of the flow of the thing. I found it funny, but not hilarious.

FuzzyCo grade: B-