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Undertaking Betty

Time to trot out another old, old favorite. Here's the cast: Brenda Blethyn, Naomi Watts, Christopher Walken and Alfred Molina. That's just for starters. This nifty little British comedy came to me as a result of a tip from a JayFlix friend in Sweden. This review was first issued in December, 2006.

Our eponymous "Betty" played by Brenda Blethyn ("Little Voice" and "Saving Grace") has been unhappily married for 30 years to a corrupt, unfaithful town councilman. Naomi Watts ("Mulholland Drive" and "King Kong") is his slutty girlfriend. Alfred Molina ("Chocolat" and "Spider- man II") is "Plots," one of the two undertakers in this little Welch hamlet. Walken ("Man on Fire" and "Wedding Crashers") is the competing undertaker who is trying to build his undertaking business by providing "'Fantasy Funerals' to put the 'fun' back in funeral."

Plots has been in love with Betty since their elementary school days. Finally they devise a plot to fake her death so they can run away together, but the competitors want to find out how she was embalmed to achieve such a lifelike appearance.

This is a farcical little gem that includes fantasy dance sequences (with GREAT editing!) and is just silly fun.

I have no idea if it is available on NetFlix, but if it isn't, check with your local library. You might be surprised. This is NOT great art, nor will you find any car chases, blowie uppie stuff, gun fights, or sweaty bodies. If you can bear up under that level of deprivation, this just might be the film for you.

Here is what one of my on-line catalogs said: Delightfully offbeat romantic comedy about a Welsh funeral director (Alfred Molina) who reconnects with his lifelong crush (Brenda Blethyn) when her mother-in-law dies. Finally ready to tell her how he feels, all Molina has to do is convince Blethyn to ditch her philandering husband so they can fake her death and run off to a Pacific island. With Christopher Walken, Naomi Watts, Robert Pugh, and Jerry Springer as himself. AKA: "Plots with a View." 88 min.
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Here is a link to a trailer:
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