If it were not for his wonderful gift to puppetry which brought us Miss Piggy, Yoda, and Grover, Frank Oz would not have a whole lot going for him recently. His directing career would seem to have crashed after a brilliant start with “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and “What About Bob?” into the hammed-up “HouseSitter,” “In & Out” and “Bowfinger,” all three of which Mr. Oz should be trying to delete from his CV. Maybe it was returning to England, maybe it was Dean Craig’s clever script or maybe it was the opportunity to work with talented comedians and refined humor – whichever it was, something clicked and Oz’s newest comedic foray, which captures the events of what must be the worst funeral rites ever performed, is a witty, clever ensemble comedy that never sags.

For Daniel (Macfadyen), even before any of the guests have arrived, his father’s funeral is an overwhelming experience. Not only is he coping with the loss of his father, but he is also dealing with pressure from his wife to escape the claustrophobia of his mother and trying to write a eulogy that will not be overshadowed by his brother Robert’s (Graves) prestigious writing career. And amidst his worrying, the coffin arrives, bearing the body of someone else…and from there, a downward spiral of lunacy begins. The funeral itself is filled with a cadre of wild family members ranging from the wheelchair-bound, cranky Uncle Alfie to the “pharmacist” Cousin Troy to the hypochondriac, worrywart Cousin Howard and topped with a stunning performance by Peter Dinklage as a gay midget who is blackmailing the family over his secret love affair with the deceased.

The brilliance of the film, however, rests on the shoulders of Alan Tudyk, whose character Simon accidentally takes a LSD-like hallucinogenic concoction. While the film is peppered by the comedy of the zany relatives, Simon’s drug-induced paranoia, cavorting around the lawn, petting the wire-framed roosters, and naked escapades on the roof provides for not only the best moments of the film, but consistent, side-splitting humor.

I do wonder how this film will stand up to multiple viewings, but I would definitely encourage at least one. “Death at a Funeral” is not the greatest mark on cinema that Frank Oz will leave, but it is one of his best and one of the best laughs I have had in a while.