Funeral Kings (2012)

Two altar boys decide to play hooky after serving at a series of funerals.

Directors:

Kevin McManus, Matthew McManus

Writers:

Kevin McManus, Matthew McManus

Stars:

Dylan Hartigan, Alex Maizus, Jordan Puzzo

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dylan Hartigan	...	Andy Gilmour
Alex Maizus	...	Charlie Waters
Jordan Puzzo	...	David Mason
Charles Kwame Odei	...	Felix Thurman
Kevin Corrigan	...	Iggy Vannucci
Michaela McManus	...	Patricia Gilmour
PJ McCabe	...	Ryan Sullivan
Dan Perrault	...	Johnny
Brandon Waltz	...	Bobby
Rafay Rashid	...	Chris
Luke LaMontagne	...	Syd
Maggie Weston	...	Lindsey Prescott
Sarah Baldwin	...	Amanda Prescott
Michael Delaney	...	Brendan Hamilton
Rachel Morris	...	Susan Hamilton

Storyline

Two altar boys decide to play hooky after serving at a series of funerals.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language throughout, sexual references, some drugs, drinking and smoking - all involving kids

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 March 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Похоронные короли

Filming Locations:

Rhode Island, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

30 Bones Cinema, Modernciné

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Three of the main characters' last names are the same as members of Pink Floyd: Gilmour, Waters, and Mason. Additionally, there is a character credited only as Syd. Syd Barrett was an original member of Pink Floyd.

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Quotes

Andy Gilmour: [after being thrown out of the video store for trying to buy an R-rated movie] Come on, dude, I look old. How old do I look?
David Mason: I don't know... 14?
Charlie Waters: Yeah, but how old could I be?
David Mason: Uhh...
Charlie Waters: 14! You look like you're 14!
Andy Gilmour: I look older than you!

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Connections

References Front Page (2008)

User Reviews

Refreshingly bold departure from traditional coming-of-age

Location: Small Town U.S.A. The kind of familiar place where Main Street has one traffic light and everybody knows your name. Three middle school boys, Andy (Dylan Hartigan), Charlie (Alex Maizus), and David (Jordan Puzzo) are (at first glance) typical mischievous teens hatching schemes. Don't get me wrong -- they're good boys -- but in a Stand By Me kind of way they've become ordinary kids placed in an extraordinary situation. That's just a hint of the story of "Funeral Kings," the auspicious debut feature from brothers Kevin and Matt McManus, who wrote, directed, and produced this sweet little American indie.

True artists take risks, and "Funeral Kings" is filled with bold choices on the part of the directors. First, the McManus brothers made the decision early on to cast kids of the same age as their young characters. No "18 to play 15" here. If anything, it was the other way around. They also chose non-actors for some lead roles. I won't reveal which, if any, of the kids didn't have professional experience since I challenge viewers to figure that out (without looking on IMDb). I certainly couldn't tell.

The filmmakers also decided not to sanitize the language. This may be the first movie rated R simply based on the number of F-bombs dropped by kids so young. These aren't wise-ass high school seniors here. These boys are barely out of their tweens. But it's real, and just another aspect of the movie that makes "Funeral Kings" so authentic. There's something oddly endearing about a trio of potty-mouthed 13-14-year-olds spouting R-rated language in an otherwise family-friendly coming-of-age film. But the shock wears off fairly quickly and suddenly we're in on the joke. (Kudos to the parents for saying yes to the filmmakers.) Wise decisions can be serendipitous, as well. "Mean Creek" is one of my all-time favorite indies. The narrative turns dark at one point and what follows is one of the best examples I've ever seen of "less is more." There's a long sequence with no dialogue. It's a classic scene in modern American independent cinema. An incident takes place in "Funeral Kings" which inspires a similar response. Like in "Mean Creek," the scene works because the filmmakers had faith in their actors' abilities to say as much, if not more, with their sad eyes and plaintive facial expressions than words can express. I was even more impressed to find out, in my discussion with the McManus brothers afterward, that there originally was dialogue written for that scene. But the powerfully emotive acting made the lines unnecessary. Bravo.

The boys are occasionally shot in quiet, thoughtful moments with long takes, necessary punctuation for the frenetic distractibility of their standard behavior which drives the multi-layered narrative. It was a particularly effective decision since there are few adults to be found in this film. These are kids being kids, and we just have the privilege of being a fly on the wall (or tree) and peeking in on their sometimes salacious, occasionally dangerous, but always edgy activities.

One of the most brilliant decisions on the part of the McManus brothers was to keep the narrative somewhat unfocused, like a script that reflects the ADD-driven adolescent brain. Story lines pick up and drop off, occasionally resolving themselves, sometimes not. Loose ends aren't always tied up. The plot is a bit like the kids' lives themselves -- slightly scattered, occasionally bordering on insanity, but always exciting and switching gears on a moment's notice. Yet it all makes sense, and the film never strays from its genuine depiction of teenage adventure.

"Funeral Kings" has an indie look and feel right from the start. Cinematographer Alex Disenhof's use of hand-held camera and available light for extensive outdoor sequences showcase both the actors' improv smarts as well as the beauty of the Rhode Island woods where much of the action takes place. Disenhof's photography and Jacob Scheyder's production design help place us in a real teen environment, not based on a Hollywood screenwriter's nostalgic images or box-office driven Disneyfied notion of the world in which these kids live and play. Nate Cormier's editing isn't music video-flashy and the score by Scott Schulman is equally unpretentious. Like any good character-driven movie, the focus is on the cast.

The three young actors carry this film magnificently. Hartigan is the idea man, wise beyond his 14 years (or so he'd like to believe), with the coolness to adapt and succeed at whatever is thrown at him. Maizus is like a dear deer in headlights, out of his element, a playful kid who just wants to have fun but is drawn into a pact with the devil. Puzzo is the keen face of maturity, an old soul trapped in a little kid's body, who knows when to call it quits and put out the fire.

Creativity in filmmaking must rely on a fresh approach and willingness to take chances. Kevin and Matt McManus did that time and again in the production of this film. The result can either be a disaster or a wonderfully rewarding experience. For me, it was the latter.