Customer Reviews

Hamlet 2 [Theatrical Release]

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I kept flashing back to Christopher Guest's hilarious 1997 mockumentary, Waiting for Guffman, as I was watching this raucous 2008 comedy, and in this case, that turns out to be high praise. Directed and co-written in ramshackle fashion by Andrew Fleming (whose most prominent credits include the 2003 remake of The In-Laws and an episode of Arrested Development), this wacky concoction mixes broad slapstick, harmless raunch, and politically incorrect humor with a heavy, tongue-in-cheek dose of Dangerous Minds (referred to in the film) and every other cliché-driven movie about a schoolteacher who serves to inspire his students. The result is something of a mess when it comes to telling a coherent story, but it's also an infectious movie that had me laughing heartily during most of its 92-minute running time. It comes as no surprise that Fleming's writing partner is Pam Brady, who is most famous for producing and writing several episodes of South Park, as well as the 1999 movie version, South Park - Bigger, Longer & Uncut. The similarities are quite apparent.

The plot is predictably absurd and rather inspired. Manitoba-born Dana Marschz is a failed TV commercial actor who has ended up teaching drama in a Tucson high school. He has just finished directing a stage production of Erin Brockovich starring the only two students enthusiastic about his over-the-top, highly derivative approach to theater. Marschz is trying to earn the respect of the pre-adolescent critic of the school newspaper but to little effect. His wife Brie hates him and yet wants to have a child. At the same time, they are forced to take in a tight-lipped boarder named Gary to make ends meet. Things change dramatically on the first day of the new semester when Marschz inherits a classroom full of Latino students who could care less about drama. Told by the principal that drama would no longer be part of the school curriculum, Marschz decides to go out fighting and stage a long-gestating work-in-progress, a musical sequel to the Bard's most famous work entitled, of course, "Hamlet 2". What happens after that point is a freewheeling comedy of errors that gives Marschz's demented optimism the perfect vehicle.

Looking like Eric Idle's younger brother, Steve Coogan gives an audaciously funny performance as Marschz, a pitiable character in the most obvious ways but undeniably likeable. He flails somewhat during the more vulnerable moments probably because his performance is so otherwise manic and vainglorious. By comparison, Christopher Guest's Corky St. Clair in "Guffman" has moments of weakness, but his character resonated more simply because the humor came from a more serious state of self-doubt. However, Coogan is a superb physical comedian, especially on his ever-present roller skates. Back in hippie-chick mode from The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Catherine Keener is hilariously toxic as Brie, while Amy Poehler gets the funniest lines in her smallish role as ACLU lawyer Cricket Feldstein, an overly enthusiastic activist with a bigoted streak a mile wide.

Elisabeth Shue gets to play a parody of herself as washed up in Hollywood and forced into what she says is a more fulfilling career as a fertility clinic nurse. While she is charming as usual, Shue is not given nearly enough to do here. There are bright turns by Skylar Astin as the closeted Rand and Phoebe Strole as the unctuous Epiphany, both alumni of Broadway's Spring Awakening, as well as from Joseph Julian Soria as the brooding actor-wannabe Octavia. The normally hyperactive David Arquette plays strictly against type as near-silent Gary. The much ballyhooed production that provides the film's climax is not quite as outrageous as "Springtime for Hitler" in the original 1968 version of The Producers. However, it is funny enough despite the fact that "Rock Me, Sexy Jesus" sounds like a familiar doo-wop song with wittier lyrics. I just wish Brady and Fleming spent a bit more time on consolidating the plot structure. Some of the story meanders without reason, and then it just stops without incident. Regardless, there is plenty of laugh-out-loud entertainment here for the undemanding viewer.

I am a professional actor (stage, TV and film) and a substitute high school teacher. I am also a script writer and "script doctor." Physical comedy is my mainstay in theater. Just off the top of my head: Steve Coogan is a superb physical actor (his drunk on roller skates is unbeatable) He is well within range of Buster Keaton's world. The writing is smart, well-paced, knowledgable about teen-agers, and surprisingly free of salacious humor that usually begs for the lowest common denominator these days. (If all this sounds like too much praise for a film comedy, then you haven't seen enough trash onscreen!) Loved it. D. Harscheid

Steve Coogan plays his character with such naivete and pure love for theatrical arts, you can't help but dig him. The entire cast is up to the challenge of playing into his character that the film becomes more about embracing one person's passion no matter how awful you think it might be because you are satisfying the end result - art for art's sake. And in the end, they pull it off.

The film may not succeed in every way (i.e. David Arquette has literally nothing to do and the arc with Catherine Keener is utterly predictable), but there are never long sections that feel like the film is dragging. The laughs keep coming even through the character's lowest moment and Amy Poehler breathes plenty of fresh air into it at the end.

Andrew and Pam Fleming co-wrote this bizarre, irreverent, hilarious, and completely original comedy . . . I must confess that I fear for their neighbors, because this pair views the world from a completely different point of view than the rest of us. While that's a boon to the movie-going public, I'm not sure I would want to borrow a cup of sugar from - Lord knows what they'd ask for in return.

If "Napoleon Dynamite" is a spoof of all teenager coming-of-age comedies, then "Hamlet 2" is a spoof of the "Let's put on a show" genre. Set in the completely mediocre town of Tuscon, the movie revolves around one Dana Marschz, a drama teacher who seemingly would have to aspire to great heights to achieve mediocre. Played by Steve Coogan with a zany pell-mell brio that brings to mind a young Eric Idle, Mr. Marschz is a semi-successful actor who has fallen on hard times. Now he teaches drama to mainly disinterested high school students and puts on derivative plays based on successful Hollywood movies. His marriage to Brie (Catherine Keener) is falling apart before his ignorant eyes and he can only roller-blade to work. Where, I should add, he is being fired due to budget cuts.

His career trajectory, one might say, has flatlined.

But then he decides to stage his magnum opus, a sequel to Hamlet. How, you ask, if everyone dies in the first one? Simple - a time machine! Not content to insult the legacy of Shakespeare's most famous play, Dana manages to offend virtually every sensibility in town.

But from Dana's madness comes greatness. Perhaps only through his unwavering faith in Art and the fact that he lives in a parallel universe where Elizabeth Shue plays herself as a local nurse (Shue having grown tired of the phoniness of Hollywood), but Dana believes he has created an artistic masterpiece.

The cool thing is, he may be right. Or he may be spectacularly wrong.

If possible, try to avoid any spoilers - this completely original movie must be experienced without any warning as to what is to come. Several gut-busting comic gems await if you do.

A must see for anyone who has ever struggled with art, had frustrated dreams, or attended high school. (It helps if you're familiar with the films of Elizabeth Shue, too.)

Hamlet 2 was either hailed as great comedy or despised by critics. The former group could probably see that this was satarizing a genre of film in the most unlikely way, while the former though it was becoming a genre film with a slightly offbeat sense of humor.

In the film, Steve Coogan plays a wannabe actor who's done infomercials, commercials, and appeared as an extra in Xena and found his way as a drama teacher who unsuccessfully adapts hollywood films into plays. He lives with his girlfriend played by Catherine Keener and a border played by David Arquette, who has a couple good bits, but really has little to do in this film.

When Coogan discovers he has a large class and that his class is set to close due to funding cuts, he decides to write the outrageous Hamlet 2. Here's where people get confused. On one hand, it appears that this film is taking the turn of every high school film where the teacher inspires his students to do great things through his relentless pursuit of a goal. But in reality, it's lampooning them but doing through chracterization, which is why the film's so much fun. But if you didn't get it, wait for the DVD and watch again.

And of course, while the film is funny, it's uneven until you get to the play itself. Yes there's funny bits with Elizabeth Shue and brief interplay with Keener, Arquette, and Coogan, but as the play takes shape, we know it will inevitably take center stage. For the finale alone, the film is worth a watch as it's some of the most hilarious things I've seen on film in years, even if is borderline offensive. That's the point, right? My only major gripe is why on earth did Coogan have to use an American accent. He's such a funny Brit.

Steve Coogan deserves most of the credit for making this familiar story go far beyond my expectations. His hilarious and demented performance had me laughing from beginning to end and the musical finale is absolutely hysterical. This film might not be for everyone and you certainly have to be in the right mood to enjoy it, but for those who like loopy, off the wall films with inspired insanity, this one is a big surprise and a lot of fun with some snappy tunes to boot!

I wasn't prepared to like HAMLET 2, but solid acting, witty lines and loopy plot turns had me enjoying the movie thoroughly.

A would-be playwright actor, the unpronounceable Dana Marschz (Steve Coogan), has reached rock bottom in his attempt to turn popular movies into stage plays; his take on Eric Brockovich is so lacking he gets run out of town. So Dana leads his ragtag rep company (wife played by Cynthia Keener, buddy by David Arquette) into uncharted territory: Tucson, Arizona. There he stumbles upon a gig as drama teacher at "West Mesa High School," a down-at-the-heels edu-barn whose programs are constantly being cut down to nothing.

**SPOILERS** At first, Dana's largely minority drama students don't see much in this white interloper, but eventually he wins them over -- not by cunning or caring but because in Dana's alcoholism and failure, the students feel sorry for HIM. (And help him, a fun inversion on the usual [and occasionally patronizing] film like STAND AND DELIVER or DEAD POET'S SOCIETY.) Dana's neediness and overall air of incompetence may put viewers in mind of "Corky St. Clair" from the Christopher Guest flick, WAITING FOR GUFFMAN.

So Dana and Company help each other into a sequel of one of the most sequel-proof plays in Western Civilization -- Hamlet. Actually, the resulting "Hamlet 2" doesn't seem to have that much to do with Shakespeare's treasure, but much of it resembles "Jesus Christ Superstar." (By now, you can guess who plays Jesus.)**

This is a cue for some of the most knowing (i.e., most hilariously awful) parodies of modern Broadway song and dance, from early Andrew Lloyd Weber through post-millenial "Rent," full scaffolding and all. Largely written by the production staff and apparently sung by a pick-up crew, these song howlers include titles like "I Love You, Sexy Jesus," "Raped in the Face," and "(You're as) Gay as the Day is Long" ("You like it all sizes, but you love it extra long"). Thank heaven no one was allowed in or out of the auditorium once this once-in-a-lifetime experience was experienced!

Delightful performances in HAMLET 2, first of all the lead, Steve Coogan as Dana Marcz. Great support comes from a number of veterans including David Arquette, Catherine Keener and Elizabeth Shue; my personal favorite is "Corky Feldstein" played with liberal (in both senses of the word) delight by Amy Poehler as the ACLU lawyer who insists that the increasingly blasphemous and obscene play gets played. (No. Matter. What.)

Somewhere along the line, HAMLET 2 the film develops its own kind of lopsided sweetness, which is what redeems this feature-length film as more than just a thirty-minute "Family Guy" parody of Tin Pan Alley. I won't claim it is as good as WAITING FOR GUFFMAN but it has that kind of mock-the-genre touch and sympathetic (though comic) insight. Sadly, some of the language alone got this film an "R" rating; I for one think clued-in teens would have enjoyed this spoof when it originally played movie houses. Bells-and-whistles are adequate but the DVD lacks a running Commentary. Nonetheless, I recommend it.

Production Note: The film was actually shot in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

What a delicious ride Hamlet 2. I will regret to my dying day not having seen it on the big screen in a theater full of people where I could have enjoyed the "vitality of the shared experience".

The writers of this film..are you reading this? I LOVE YOU. I get it!!!

"It doesn't how much talent you lack, as long as you have enthusiasm"

Steve Coogans character is the ENDEARINGLY charismatic human representation of Rumi's classic poem

"Passion makes the old medicine new: Passion lops off the bough of weariness. Passion is the elixir that renews: how can there be weariness when passion is present? Oh, don't sigh heavily from fatigue: seek passion, seek passion, seek passion!"

No matter how many road blocks he hits, no matter how much abuse is heaped on him he NEVER CLOSES HIS HEART. He starts out hoping to inspire his students and when all seems lost they return the gift.

Yes this film us chock full of supremely HILARIOUS unhinged performances. And they work brilliantly. But as Coogans character states emphatically

"SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA GO A LITTLE CRAZY TO CREATE GREAT ART"

It is not all fun and games and there are poignant moments that are so beautiful to behold...none of the reviewers so far have touched on the HUMANITY in this film and that is where it really shines.

Hamlet 2 uses the art of over the top comedy to confront the scourge of alcoholism, child abuse, racial and even sexual stereotypes. And in all of this ancillary mayhem Steve Coogans character gets around not by car or bus but on roller skates. His safety helmet captured my imagination because with the spiritual flavor of the movie and the obstacles he faces I was transfixed by the memory of a passage in Thessalonians

"But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the passionate hope of salvation"

Ultimately Hamlet 2 is about second chances. Whether you are hoping for one for yourself or alternately perhaps one day you will be in the exquisite position to grant one. That is the passionate idea this madcap drama teacher wants to explore for Hamlet. He rewrites the tragedy to give Hamlet the chance to turn things around. And in giving this classic character a second chance he simultaneously creates one for himself.

The "therapy" Hamlet ends up getting comes in the wake of his quest for Jesus...he finds Jesus LITERALLY. It is a BRILLIANT device and so empowering to the character and to this particular viewer that I openly wept at that sequence in particular. Jesus has a cellphone and Hamlet can call him whenever he needs him

Hamlet 2 makes PERFECT SENSE. It is a stunning and breathtaking devotional to tolerance and most importantly to the staggering redemptive power of forgiveness.....to LET GO of past or perceived slights and embrace a genuine apology when it is given and conversely to be the one to step up and offer an apology when you know you have done wrong or have hurt someone.

In Hamlet 2 Steve Coogans character takes the theme of forgiveness to the highest level by actually CREATING the apology he desperately needed in order to transform his future. He knew intrinsically, that life is like monkey bars you HAVE TO LET GO in order to move forward. He created his own beautiful destiny despite the odds. His helmet of hope helped to dull the ubiquitous naysaying of the less enlightened. He was able to rise above the darkness and simultaneously bring his entire class into the light.

There are hundreds of laughs to be found in this sparkling gift to cinema, you will laugh to the point of howling... but what really moved me was the sense of peace that came in the wake of all of the insanity and also a profound comfort.

"The great religions are the ships, Poets the life boats. Every sane person I know has jumped overboard"

This film has a poetry all it's own. It is a catharsis in it's purest form. I watched it and was overwhelmed by the idea that it made me laugh AND then it made me think.

Hamlet 2 is a spectacular theatrical tribute to Keats thoughts of "negative capability". Negative capability is where instead of succumbing to sadness when horrible things happen to you, you jump up, turn them around and USE THEM for creative inspiration.

If you have watched Hamlet 2 and only seen the screwball comedy, the campy acting and audacious re working of Hamlet...then you have seen the movie but you have totally missed the light. The very fact that this movie is "uneven" is what makes it so extraordinary. Life isn't even... the adventure is in the odds and and the ends. Get a helmet and give Hamlet 2 a second chance. It is no coincidence that one of the characters is seen wearing a shirt with the name Donald Judd emblazoned on it. The Texas artist was the one who established that when it comes to the creative process "methods should not matter as long as the results create art". Another character goes by the name of EPIPHANY....if you watch this film with the free spirit in which it was created, I promise you WILL have one.

To the entire cast and crew of Hamlet 2 THANK YOU this movie was GLORIOUS and has inpsired me to always remember PASSION!!!!

Hamlet 2 is a very inconsistent movie. It is simultaneously laugh-out loud funny as well as maddening in the dozens of dead ends and wasted characters that are introduced. It is either a case of bad editing or poor writing, but this movie could have eliminated at least two characters completely without affecting the plot and could have eliminated a hand full of scenes for similar reasons as well. Steve Coogan is a funny enough actor but he can not carry this movie on his own. There are times when he tries too hard and has your finger itching for the remote and, yet, there are other times when he does a nice take on the lines he is given. I am curious as to why he had to lose the accent because I think it would've made his role a bit more convincing and comical - the failed English actor in Tucson - but the writer/director had other ideas. The whole Elisabeth Shue part is genius and the actors and writing for the high school students is believable and well-done. On the other hand, Arquette and Kenner are unnecessary and the small amount of influence their characters bring to the plot might've just as easily been inferred or done off-screen and we would've then been spared Kenner's painfully contrived role and Arquette's largely mute inclusion. Additionally, there are many issues that are touched upon but in such an ephemeral manner that it is little more than a squandered opportunity; e.g. child abuse, coming to grips with one's sexuality, psychological counseling, alcoholism, cultural stereotyping, pointless relationships, and dreams crushed in the face of harsh realities.
It is not until the performance of the production at the center of the movie that this uneven offering hits its stride. The musical numbers are hilarious and the reactions of the angry mob and the thug enforcers are priceless. Also, the short-lived but utterly brilliant work of Amy Poehler as the ACLU lawyer further helps to salvage this movie and make me put it on my shelf rather than take it back to the video store for a trade-in.
I was interested in the movie because it eschews political correctness and skewers close-minded religious types. It further hits home for me because it is set in Arizona in a public school and the crack of Tucson being the place where dreams go to die is a funny albeit harsh jab at the southwestern world where I have spent much of my teaching career. Those reasons brought the movie into my home and the exquisite satire of the play within the movie is what will keep it here.

Steve Coogan's character is an all too familiar one to anybody who's witnessed the downside of pursuing an acting career. Erratic, needy, high-strung, emotive to the point of being a caricature, his performance captures the personality of many wannabe performers. His exile to Tuscon and the meager life he lives there, professionally and emotionally, lays bare perfectly how desolate his life is.
The real strength of this move is the performance of the actors, ranging from his best student's parents, whose shared derisive attitude towards Coogan's character is hilarious, the critic for the school newspaper, who shares their contempt, and Catherine Keener, Coogan's wife who's regret for marrying him is painfully apparent.
The direction is somewhat ham-handed, particularly in the transition to the climactic scene, but once that moment hits, there's a whole new layer of humor, especially regarding the local townspeople's outrage at the content of Coogan's musical, which are totally inappropriate for local social mores.
All in all, this is a movie that has a good heart at its center, with the kind of satire that will keep you laughing weeks after you've seen it.