CINEMA
Graveyard Laughter
FACING UP TO WIDOWHOOD, LUCILLE (Diane Ladd) fakes merriness, Doris (Olympia Dukakis) makes a tart-tongued second career out of mourning, and Esther (Ellen Burstyn) remains awash in vulnerability. They are THE CEMETERY CLUB -- three nice middle-aged, middle-class Jewish ladies trying to live out their leftover lives. When Esther crosses class lines to embark tentatively on a relationship with Ben (Danny Aiello), who drives a cab, her pals send up a chorus of envy and disapproval. The acting is sharp, and Bill Duke's direction is realistically grounded. But writer Ivan Menchell Neil Simonizes loss. He can be funny...