Disclosure: I received a digital screener of "Funeral Day" from Random Media in exchange for my post and my review. No other compensation was exchanged or received.
A Darkly Funny Comedy About Living Life to the Fullest
FUNERAL DAY
Debut on DVD, Digital and VOD June 12, 2018
In Due Time Productions and indie film leader Random Media present June 12 national DVD, Digital and VOD release of a dark, quirky and timely new comedy feature, FUNERAL DAY. It is the story of Scott, a neurotic man, who thinks he found a lump on his testicles and fears he might be dying, so he skips his friend's funeral. Instead, all in the course of a day, he quits his job; begs for a second chance at love; attempts to look death in the face and of course gets his prostate milked -- all in the name of ‘living life to the fullest.”
Cheered at film festivals with awards including ‘Best Comedy Feature’ at the Twister Alley Film Festival and the Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival, FUNERAL DAY stars and is directed by Jon Weinberg. The quirky and hilarious feature also stars Tyler Labine (Super Troopers 2, Tucker & Dale Vs Evil), Suzy Nakamura (TV’s Doctor Ken, Modern Family), Dominic Rains (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Girl Who Walks Home Alone At Night), Tygh Runyan (Versailles, K-19 The Widowmaker), Kristin Carey (TV’s Scandal), Jed Rees (American Made, Deadpool), Rahnuma Panthaky (TV’s Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders) and Sarah Adina (TV’s The Young and the Restless).
Although a comedy, Director/star Jon Weinberg and Screenwriter Kris Elgstrand’s FUNERAL DAY ultimately deals with the serious subjects of mortality and testicular cancer. In creating the film, Weinberg and Elgstrand were proud to have joined forces with the Testicular Cancer Society (www.TesticularCancerSociety.org) during post production, and continue to work with the organization, to promote education. It’s their hope that by creating an atmosphere of comedy surrounding the sensitive subject, they might increase awareness of the need to ‘check yourself.’
FUNERAL DAY’s dark comedic humor struck a chord with film festivals, netting a wide selection of honors, including:
Best Comedy Feature at the Twister Alley Film Festival (a festival that was included in the
2017 MovieMaker Magazine Top 50) and the Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival.
Best Director, Feature Film at the Windy City Int'l Film Festival and the Austin Revolution
Film Festival. Other festivals included: Key West Film Festival, Twin Cities Film Fest, Vienna Independent Film Festival, Gig Harbor Film Festival, Readin Film Festival and more.
Starring: Jon Weinberg, Tyler Labine, Suzy Nakamura, Dominic Rains, Tygh Runyan, Kristen Carey, Jed Rees, Rahnuma Panthaky and Sarah Adina.
Director: Jon Weinberg
Screenwriter: Kris Elgstrand
Original Music: Ariel Blumenthal
Producer: Jon Weinberg, Ron Butler, Christopher Carley and Jesse Alson-Milkman
Executive Producers: David I Weinberg and William Brydon
Director of Photography: Jeffrey A. Cunningham
Production Designer: Caitlin Laingen
Editor: Jay Trautman
Official Synopsis:
Scott thinks he might be dying. Not at all an uncommon thought for Scott, but today the lump he believes he found “down there” might actually be real. Today also happens to be the day of his friend Ken’s funeral who did in fact die of cancer.
When his buddy Chris comes to pick him up for the funeral, Scott refuses to go. Instead, he sets off on a mission to make some “dramatic” changes in his life and he doesn’t have much time because, well, he may be terminal himself. Skipping a friend’s funeral and pissing off a buddy may not be the best way to start his mission, but Scott is nothing if not determined. (Determined to avoid death, doctors, and adult responsibilities, but determined nevertheless).
Along the way he quits his job; begs for a 2nd chance at love; attempts to look death in the face and, of course, gets his prostate milked -- all in the name of changing his life.
Maybe it will all make a difference. Maybe not. But at the very least this day has given him the courage to start taking on some responsibilities... and to get someone qualified to check his nuts.
About Random Media:
Random Media is a content company that acquires and distributes films on a worldwide basis through movie theatres, conventional brick and mortar retailers, digital platforms, cable and satellite companies and television networks. Random Media is known for its commitment to building strong, supportive relationships with its filmmakers. The companies growing library includes such acclaimed films as Fare, Desert Cathedral, The Lonely Italian, Killswitch: The Battle for Control of the Internet, Frank Vs. God, Finding Kim and The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille.
My Thoughts:
Different kind of movie about a man thinking he's dying. He comes up with so many reasons not to attend his friend's funeral because his friend died of cancer. A friend drives him to the funeral, and he's scared to go. At the end of the movie, he goes to the grave site and lays down some flowers for his friend who passed away, makes plans to go to the doctor, and calls a friend and asks them to go with him.
It's worth your time to see this movie. It can help many people to man up and go see a doctor if they think they found a lump some place. I know from personal experience that making an appt. and keeping it, to find out what the lump could be, is a difficult thing to do.
Funeral Day isn't rated. I'd say rated R because of the adult content in this movie. Not for teens 17 or younger.
WEB/SOCIAL MEDIA:
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Twitter: @FuneralDayMovie (https://twitter.com/funeraldaymovie)
