Undertaking Betty (2002)

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 (as Frederick Ponzlov)

Stars:

Brenda Blethyn, Alfred Molina, Christopher Walken

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 Stennett	...	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:

voyeurism | voyeur | blonde | red dress | lingerie | 

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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 R for some sexual content

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the second comedy starring Brenda Blethyn where she discovers that the man she was faithfully married to was a philanderer, the first being "Saving Grace."

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Goofs

When Lee Evans & Christopher Walken go to Plots to see Betty's body Lee Evans does not have his false teeth in.

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Quotes

Delbert Butterfield: Frank.
Frank Featherbed: Huh?
Delbert Butterfield: Why do old people have such huge ears?
Frank Featherbed: It's cartilage. Keeps growing.
Delbert Butterfield: But they hear less.
Frank Featherbed: It shall remain a mystery.

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Connections

References The Jerry Springer Show (1991)

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Soundtracks

Organ Sonata No. 1
Written by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Performed by Michael Boyles

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 June 2003 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Undertaking Betty

Filming Locations:

Wales, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,868,949

Company Credits

Production Co:

Snowfall Films, Spice Factory, CF1 Cyf

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min (Dinard Festival of British Cinema)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1