Funeral Kings is a 2012 film written and directed by Kevin McManus and Matthew McManus starring Dylan Hartigan and Alex Maizus.
| Funeral Kings | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Kevin McManus Matthew McManus |
| Written by | Kevin McManus Matthew McManus |
| Produced by | Kevin McManus Matthew McManus Michael J. McGarry Ethan Rosenberg Tony Yacenda Dan Perrault Brian Vannucci Jordan Rudman Andrew van den Houten |
| Starring | Dylan Hartigan Alex Maizus Jordan Puzzo Charles Odei Michaela McManus Kevin Corrigan |
| Cinematography | Alex Disenhof |
| Edited by | Nate Cormier |
| Music by | Darien Scott Shulman |
Production company | 30 Bones Cinema |
| Distributed by | Freestyle Releasing |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editTwo irreverent altar boys, Andy and Charlie, play hooky after every funeral they serve at their school's chapel. This comes into conflict when the boys are teamed with a timid, new kid who is less willing to break the rules.
Cast
edit- Dylan Hartigan as Andy Gilmour
- Alex Maizus as Charlie Waters
- Jordan Puzzo as David Mason
- Charles Odei as Felix Thurman
- Michaela McManus as Patricia Gilmour
- Kevin Corrigan as Iggy Vannucci
- Clancy Cavanaugh as The Dog
Production
editProduction began in July 2010. The McManus Brothers were inspired by their father's stories about growing up as an altar server in Catholic school.[2]
Release
editThe film was first screened in the US at the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 10, 2012.[3] It went on general release on November 16, 2012.[4]
Reception
editThe film received an 88% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[5] John Anderson of Variety said the film was "like a John Hughes comedy with nicotine stains." He went on to say " it could become one of those films by which an age group defines itself."[6] Mark Olsen of The Los Angeles Times said the film was "a surprisingly sweet story about a pair of Rhode Island Catholic schoolboys, played with knockabout charm by Alex Maizus and Dylan Hartigan." He criticized the film for "its impulse toward honesty over overstatement" which he said, "robs the film of true dramatic tension."[7] Drew McWeeny of Hitfix wrote "'Funeral Kings' is confident and controlled and, with an unabashed vulgarity underscoring everything, about as pure a piece of movie memory as I can name."[8]
References
edit- ^ Punter, Jennie (Sep 8, 2012). "Freestyle nabs 'Funeral Kings'". Variety. Archived from the original on November 24, 2014. Retrieved Sep 30, 2014.
- ^ Marybel Gervais, An Interview with the McManus Brothers Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine, Spectacular Optical, July 23, 2012
- ^ Drew McWeeny, 'Funeral Kings is a Confident Coming-of-Age Debut from the McManus Brothers Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine, Hitflix.com, March 10, 2012
- ^ Ian Buckwalter, Putting Some Awkwardly Adolescent Fun In 'Funeral' Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, npr.org, November 15, 2012
- ^ [1] Archived 2014-10-27 at the Wayback Machine, Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ John Anderson, "Review:Funeral Kings Archived 2017-12-09 at the Wayback Machine", Variety, July 26, 2012.
- ^ Mark Olsen, "[2] ", Los Angeles Times, Nov 15, 2012
- ^ Drew McWeeny, "[3] Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine", Hitfix.com, March 10, 2012