Eulogy

The preternaturally self-possessed Zooey Deschanel emerges unscathed from first-time writer-director Clancy's mediocre dysfunctional-family comedy. The same cannot be said for her diverse array of castmates, who are at best wasted and at worst ill-used. Drawn home for a cut-rate burial at sea of Edmund Collins (Rip Torn) are his four adult children—failed actor Daniel (Azaria), controlling housewife Alice (Debra Winger), lesbian Lucy (Kelly Preston) and sleazy lawyer Skip (Romano)—with various significant others and offspring in tow. While bad family gatherings are a time-honored comedy-of-discomfort staple, this surprisingly mild farce is nowhere near as bracingly mean-spirited as Clancy apparently thinks it is.