The six wives of Henry Lefay (2009) is a comical cautionary tale for those who make no funeral plans, or for those who make plans but marry too many times. One of the slogans is: He loves women, many women.
As a fun funeral movie, it’s a great tool to start conversations about funeral planning. It’s also a great way for estate planning attorneys to help their clients take their wills, trusts, and other estate planning matters seriously.
Audio and video salesman Henry Lefay (Tim Allen) disappears while paragliding in Mexico and is presumed dead. Their daughter Barbie (Elisha Cuthbert) returns to her hometown in upstate New York for the funeral. Tensions escalate into comical explosions as Henry’s current wife, five exes, and a mistress wage a fierce power struggle over the final arrangements.
Wife # 1 is Kate (Andie MacDowell), Barbie’s mother. Ofelia (Jenna Elfman), wife # 2 and # 4 (he married her twice), is an intensely passionate and often drunk woman whom Henry continues to “date” regularly. Wife # 3, Veronica (Paz Vega), owns and operates half of Henry’s successful business. Wife number 5 Autumn (Lindsay Sloane), who is Barbie’s age, believes she is in charge and will inherit everything as she is the current wife.
None of them know there was another wife before Kate, and the mistress Henry was with in Mexico hopes to become wife number 7. Things get really crazy on funeral home visits after the body is returned to The USA.
Disagreements fly: should the coffin be opened or closed? In what cemetery is he supposed to be buried? What about cremation?
Wives # 2 to # 5 have handwritten letters from Henry with different funeral arrangements. Veronica has plots together for her and Henry at the Pleasant Meadows Cemetery. Autumn has plots together for her and Henry at Shady Glen Cemetery. And Ofelia has a letter that says she wants to be cremated and her ashes scattered in the ocean from a catamaran near the Bahamas.
Being a comedy, there are several surprise twists and a happy ending. It is not a deep movie by any means. No spoiler alerts, you just have to watch the movie.
Most people probably don’t have a complicated love life like Henry Lefay’s. Still, the movie raises important questions that all families must answer before someone dies.
The six wives of Henry Lefay provides a joyous lesson on the serious matter of funeral planning, wills, trusts, and estate planning. It can open the door to discussions about funeral plans, inheritances, business estates, trusts, and pre-wedding agreements.
Some points to ponder (and act):
ยท When you change spouses, update the details of funeral plans or current advance directives.
Review and update all wills, advance directives, trusts, and other important documents whenever there is a change in marital status and any additions (or subtractions) to the family.
A personal instruction letter outlining your wishes is very helpful for your loved ones, just don’t make different for different spouses like Henry Lefay did.
The six wives of Henry Lefay it can be rented on DVD through Netflix and purchased (as available) on Amazon.com. It is rated PG-13 for sexual content, brief nudity, and some language.
