I love comedies that take a darker approach and subject matter to bring the laughs. Sometimes it is just the comedy itself, but when you thrust a political theme to it can often times be even funnier and more dark. The latest The Death of Stalin stars Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Rupert Friend, Andrea Riseborough, Jason Isaacs, and Michael Palin, but does it live up to the history of the man or will they fail to lead it to success?

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The Death of Stalin follows the tyrannical ruler’s hapless inner circle in the days after his death.  As they scramble to come up with the next evolution of the revolution, it’s clear everyone is really out for themselves. I love these kinds of movies that aren’t going full on for the forced comedy, but instead let the situations be the laughs. The story is pretty straightforward, but watching the crazy cast of characters all doing what they can to get what they want is great fun to watch. There are some dark elements to this comedy, but they play up well to the overall story.

 

The cast are all great with Steve Buscemi and Jeffery Tambor stealing the show. Make no mistake that despite the laughs there are still some serious elements to the events that unfolded around Stalin’s death. I didn’t find this film near as funny as I had hoped, but still enjoyed it for what it was and think most will be pleasantly surprised.

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This releases not only features the film but bonus content including a behind-the-scenes featurette entitled “Dictators, Murderers, and Comrades…Oh My!”, and deleted scenes. Grab your copy of The Death of Stalin when it hits Digital and DVD on June 19th from Paramount Home Entertainment.