Remakes, sequels, prequels… all a bit confusing isn’t it? In the past a remake of a foreign film would (some might say) be a necessary move, as the original would be in a foreign language. But now we have ‘Death At A Funeral’, an English language remake of, er, an English language film. Still confused? It gets better- the original UK comedy was only released three years ago!

Relocated from Blighty to L.A., it’s the story of the funeral of Aaron’s (Chris Rock) father. Unable to face his grief and just wanting to get the day over with, Aaron also has to face raised eyebrows when, as the eldest, he has to deliver a eulogy, whereas most of the guests would prefer to hear his successful-but-unreliable younger brother (Martin Lawrence). All manner of havoc breaks loose, including cousin Elaine’s (Zoe Saldana) unintentionally drugged boyfriend (James Marsden) and a foul-mouthed uncle (Danny Glover). To make things worse, a mysterious guest (Peter Dinklage) turns up to blackmail the brother. Can Aaron contain all the madness and do his father proud?

It appears to be an Americanised version of the original which, given the original didn’t set the world alight, makes for an unremarkable comedy. The Noel Coward-like farce is replaced by gags and more than the odd bit of slapstick. The various subplots unravel as the story develops, hurtling towards a predictable conclusion on the most part. The updated script has some funny moments (‘Our father was on the down low?’, ‘WAY down low!’) and whilst most these are in the trailer it brings a guilty smile to your face.

Rock and Lawrence have always had the spectre of Eddie Murphy career looming over their respective screen careers. Thankfully neither have sunk to the depths Murphy has of late (‘Meet Dave’), and Rock especially provides the moral focus for the story. Lawrence seems to be having a bit more fun as the lady-chasing brother, and the pair make a reasonable duo. Saldana is currently the goddess of film thanks to ‘Avatar’, and plays straight-woman to the hilarious Marsden, playing wacky with aplomb. Dinklage plays the same role he did in the original, and is just as annoying.

There are a lot of chuckles along the way, without truly splitting your sides, and no doubt will make for a fun night out, but most will just wonder why we couldn’t have seen this collection of comedy talent in an original film. Overall, an average remake of an average film.

Death At A Funeral is out now.