Undertaking Betty (2002)
"Plots with a View" (original title)

A woman, whose husband is cheating on her, and an undertaker, who has been in love with her since their childhood, decide to fake her death so they can be together.

Director:

Nick Hurran

Writer:

Fred Ponzlov

Stars:

Alfred Molina, Brenda Blethyn, Naomi Watts

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hannah Higgins	...	Young Betty
Joshua Jenkins	...	Young Boris (as Josh Jenkins)
Shaun Phillips	...	Young Hugh
Alfred Molina	...	Boris Plots
Brenda Blethyn	...	Betty Rhys-Jones
Robert Pugh	...	Hugh Rhys-Jones
Menna Trussler	...	Dilys Rhys-Jones
Jerry Springer	...	Jerry Springer
Naomi Watts	...	Meredith Mainwaring
Lee Evans	...	Delbert Butterfield
Christopher Walken	...	Frank Featherbed
Lennie Huhtala	...	Albert Pontefreece
Padrig Owen Jones	...	Willie
Miriam Margolyes	...	Thelma / Selma
Stan Stennet	...	Albert Edwards

Storyline

A woman, whose husband is cheating on her, and an undertaker, who has been in love with her since their childhood, decide to fake her death so they can be together.

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Plot Keywords:

coffin | fake accident | undertaker | wales | fake death | 

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Taglines:

A comedy where love finds new life and death is something to laugh about.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content/humor

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 June 2003 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Undertaking Betty

Filming Locations:

Caldicot, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Snowfall Films, Great British Films, Spice Factory

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min 94 min (Dinard Festival of British Cinema)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While filming scenes in Llantrisant, Wales, Lee Evans fell from a window and landed on a large nail. The sharp spike pierced his body and narrowly missed one of his kidneys.

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Goofs

(at around 20 mins) When Betty and Boris finish dancing you can clearly see the "dead" man lying on the table breathing.

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Quotes

Betty Rhys-Jones: Why couldn't I have fallen in love with a travel agent?

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Connections

References The Jerry Springer Show (1991)

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Soundtracks

"In The Mood"
Written by Garland
Performed by Ted Heath & His Orchestra

User Reviews

"The root word of funeral is 'fun'"

And fun this movie is. I saw this on Cinemax a few months ago, and it wasn't so bad. As another reviewer said, it just has its moments, but those moments are pure gold (better than the tripe Americans usually churn out and call "comedy"). It's not a terrific film, but as something to watch on the tube, it's perfect. Alfred Molina and Brenda Blethlyn deliver good performances, but my favorite has to be Christopher Walken as Featherbed, the whacko American with his Star Trek and other themed funerals (although I don't know what he's doing in Wales).

Overall, it's a solid (albeit rather predictable) comedy.