Boring, trite, and pointless, Eulogy (2004) is a lame effort to imitate The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) plus a dash of The Big Chill (1983), with not a scrap of those films' verve, insight, sophistication, wit, or style. The fact that so many likable, talented actors lined up to participate in this train wreck of a laughless comedy drama is a testament to the power of packaging and the inability of even the most gifted to suss out worthy material in what passes for the modern-day "entertainment industry" (has there ever been a greater oxymoron?). How writer/director Michael Clancy managed to land a Sundance Festival screening for his disappointing sophomore effort is a mystery; one that is superseded only by the enigma of how he managed to secure financing and such a terrific cast for the picture in the first place. If Ray Romano wasn't so stinking filthy rich from his ho-hum sitcom, one would feel sorry for him, as he lets his moustache do the acting and manages to prove only that Ben Stiller is worth his paycheck in a role carbon-copied from Stiller's in Tenenbaums. Hank Azaria barely manages to create a few moments worthy of his own clip reel; only Zooey Deschanel in the lead role does herself any favors, proving she's got the chops to carry a film. It's all for naught, however, as she's definitely not going to enlarge her fan base after Elf (2003) and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005). Like most eulogies, this one's a stiff.
