Customer Reviews

Scotland, PA. [VHS]

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As an English teacher who has taught Macbeth to bored students for year after year after year, I love Shakespeare, but could never get most of my kids beyond the "OH NO! SHAKESPEARE!" attitude. This is the film that could do it, if only I could show it in class. I can't, unfortunately, because of the very liberal use of profanity (about every fourth word is the f-word). For myself, however, the film was an absolute joy. It is set in 1970s Pennsylvania, and the power struggle is over a fast food joint, not a country. The film script follows the original script relatively closely, but with a wink and a nod, and tongue firmly in cheek. The first half is hysterically funny, especially for those who know Macbeth and can pick up on the sly references (Witches' Brew Beer! A food fight that sets up Joe McBeth as Duncan's favorite!). The murder of Duncan is particularly strange and funny. The second half gets progressively darker, and the suspense starts to really pick up. Maura Tierney is amazingly on target as (Lady)Pat McBeth, although Joe McBeth (James LeGros) is played as kind of stupid. Christopher Walken is typically sly and strange as Detective McDuff. I also enjoyed the perceptive (but brief) interview with the writer/director in the Afterthoughts section of the extras on the DVD. I just find this film to be a wonderful example of why Shakespeare is the greatest writer of all time; 11th century Scotland or 1970s McBurgerland, this story of ambition and madness remains the same at heart.

A clever retelling of the tragedy of MacBeth. Rather than being the loyal vassal to the King of Scotland he is the dedicated sort-order cook for the workaholic restaurant proprietor, Norm Duncan. Inevitably Joe's wife decided that the time is now for these "underachievers who need to make up for lost time". After the tragic and mysterious death of the owner, the couple is able to buy the place at a discount from the dead man's sons. Once ensconced as the owners they make a stunning number of changes including big red arches, a drive-thru, and little fried chicken pieces (called little chicken MacBeths). It all seems so perfect until the details start to unravel. A policeman named MacDuff is investigating the murder of Duncan, MacBeth's best friend starts asking questions about where the couple was the night of the murder, and Mrs. Macbeth develops an obsession with a grease burn she got on her hand.

This was a movie well worth the money. It was funny from one end to the other. It reminded me of the comment that Kissinger once said about academia "The Politics are especially vicious because the stakes are so small". In this film we see that even the smallest kingdom is sometimes worth fighting for.

The one similarity everyone who reviewed this movie missed is it's striking similarity to the Cohen Brother's classic FARGO. Sure enough when I viewed the special features the director did mention that FARGO was a big influence for him in making this wonderfully dark and funny film.

I really dig this movie. Like many of the reviewers, I rented it on a whim not expecting much. After all, I live in PA so what the heck let me check out this film about a town in my home state (I've actually seen signs stating the miles to Scotland). Was I ever in for a pleasant surprise. The casting was excellent, the script nothing short of brilliant, and the acting was supurb. Add a soundtrack of Bad Company playing in the backgroud, three stoned withches, Chris Walken and you have yourself a modern day classic. If you are an action movie fan, like XXX and such, keep steppin this one isn't for you. If you liked Movies like Fargo and A Simple Plan, then step into the diner. Pat and Mac are serving up french fried murder. The sides are a couple of frame ups, secondary murders, a persistant detective (Walken) that is as bothersome to the guilty parties as gasburger residue at 2AM, two brothers, one who just wants to rock, and one who is gay, and a host of town residents each with their own quirks. There is even a dim wit deputy type thrown in for good measure.

Will Pat and Mac get away with their vile evil deeds? Will Walken as the persistant detective serve them their just deserts? I aint telling. You just have to see for yourself, and make sure you bring some sutures, cause your side will split with laughter.

This is some of the most fun I've had watching a movie. I took it as a blind recommendation and it has become one of my favorite comedies in years.

Using Shakespeare's Macbeth as his source, former actor Billy Morrissette makes (I believe) his feature film debut as an actor with this brilliantly dark (I know, I'm oxymoronic) comedy.

Set in the depressed town of Scotland, Pennsylvania circa 1973, Morrissette turns Shakespeare's original story about a power hungry wife pushing her too contemplative husband into a bloody post-regicide reign into a tale of an over ambitious wife pushing her dullard husband into murder to take over a fast food joint. Morrissette had obvious fun playing with the characters names and using them to even propel the story. There is of course our anti-hero/heroine Joe "Mac" and his wife Pat - the McBeth's, both of whom work for Duncan, the owner of (what else) a donut shop. Through shrewd manipulation Pat pushes. There's also Lt. McDuff (Christopher Walken seemingly having more fun than he has in anything I can recall him in); Banquo - becomes Banco, and Shakespeare's witches/weird sisters become an unholy trio of drugged out hippies (deliciously played by Andy Dick, Amy Smart and Tim Levitch.

Acting honors go all the way around but James LeGros and Maura Tierney get special mention as the unholy couple. LeGros captures the perfect 70's dullard, small time dreams, clueless and nearly almost ruining everything. He's a delight to watch. Ms. Tierney - an actress who singlehandedly kept me from ever watching E.R. nearly shocked the life out of me by actually proving to be an amazing actress. If for no other reason (but thank God there are plenty of 'em) the movie would be worth watching for Tierney's most delicious, crazed performance of the film. Her transparent subtlety is almost menacing and her greedy ambition is mouthwateringly contagious - you want her to get away with everything.

I can't recommend this movie enough! Hilarious and disturbing Scotland, Pa. is a joy!

The indie film Scotland PA, is a fantastic retelling of MacBeth as a black comedy set at a fast food restaurant in the 1970's. Full of laughs, wonderful actors and great music, this film should satisfy just about anyone, not just the indie film crowd.

What is particularly great about it is how it sticks close to the original story of William Shakespeare's MacBeth. Well, as close as it can being set in the 70's. Instead of a husband and wife team plotting to take over the throne, the McBeth's in Scotland PA (which stands for the small town of Scotland in Pennsylvania) take over a greasy fast-food restaurant to turn it into the first drive-through in existence. You can already tell it's great fodder for dark comedy.

The story has big laughs at every twist of the plot. Some fall flat, but most are laugh-out-loud funny. But what's even better is the great characterizations the film's cast brings out. Christopher Walken is fantastic as the detective McDuff assigned to solving the murders in town. The McBeth's are also portrayed wonderfully, but all the supporting cast are equally as interesting and three-dimensional. Now that's rare, even in well-produced black comedies.

Scotland PA should be checked out by anyone with a slightly twisted sense of humor, if not owned as a permanent part of their DVD collection. I highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed director Billy Morrissette's quirky 1970's vision of MacBeth. The acting is superb. It is, for me, always a pleasure to watch Christopher Walken on screen. As Detective MacDuff he is a laugh a minute. James LeGros and Maura Tierney are superb as the man MacBeth and his lady. Kevin Corrigan does a fine job in his supporting role. A great 1970's soundtrack, and where did he find all those 70's vintage Camaros? A little heavy on the F word, so not one for the small kiddies, but other than that a thoroughly enjoyable film.

To find a movie that is this good and compelling is rare- for it to be independent is almost unheard of. I read reviews but was still leery of getting it- I'm so glad I did. Think of it as a great little private stock to share with a few select friends. It is off the beaten path and that is what makes it great. If you are undecided give it a try- I am so glad I did. remember, reservoir dogs wasn't very well known either before pulp fiction.This movie is that good. But in it's own different way.

I rented this thinking I was in for another arthouse flop, and 10 minutes into it I knew I was in for the best unanticipated rental experience since the Usual Suspects. If you don't like this movie, you are an idiot-just take the disk out of the player and reach for Triple X with Van Deisel. This movie was so entertaining it even made Andy Dick toleable(don't worry he only has 2.5 minutes total screen-time), and that's saying ALOT. It's like a trainwreck, in that you know the end result is going to be devastating, but you just can't turn away. I did'nt want it to end.

Scotland PA is made all the better after a quick re-read of Shakespeare's MacBeth. Darkly comic, this movie made me feel entertained the whole time. The soundtrack is absolutely one of the best that I have heard in a long time, especially good since I'm usually not a fan of classic rock. Bad Company plays predominately in the movie, the best use of their title song used in Witches' Brew Bar as Mac begins to scheme. Pat McBeth is fantastic and hot, again especially hot since I'm not into girls. Her composure and sense of style rocks, creating a villianess that you want to be your best friend. Scotland, PA oozes seventies style and appeal, drawing you into the plot of two twenty-somethings as they grasp for that golden french fry we call ambition and power. See this movie if not for anything but to watch something darkly fun and bitingly comedic.

"Scotland, PA" was a hilarious adventure for me. I laughed hysterically. (I didn't realize until I read professional reviews that the film didn't work because they tried to make it a comedy.) For me, that was the point! It hit the "Fargo" tragicomedy mark with a bullseye. I am SO jazzed about this film!

In the DVD extras, director Billy Morrissette says that he's not trying to reach your classic Shakespeare crowd. His goal was to take the Bard and adapt it for kids, more the french fries & milkshakes in the convertible crowd. For his first feature as a screenwriter and director, he hit the mark.

Morrissette has a good resume as an actor, having appeared in "Catch Me If You Can" for which Christopher Walkan was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. It's an interesting connection that leads Walkan into the role as the police detective McDuff. While "Scotland, PA" is not going to earn him another Oscar to go with his "Deer Hunter" statue, he does give a great performance as the savvy detective.

Maura Tierney who plays the ER OB/GYN nurse Abby on TV is married to Morrissette. As Pat McBeth, she does a delightfully crazy job of going nuts. The film starts out riotously funny and then turns darker toward the Shakespeare story line in the second half. Her husband Mac McBeth is played by James LeGros who I came to know & love in the 2001 season of Ally McBeal. He's in a film called "Trust the Man" with Julianne Moore & David Duchovny this year. As Mac, he's kind of dumb, but he tries real hard. When the couple binds fast food owner Norm Duncan with duct tape and mistakenly hit him with a cast iron skillet that sends him face forward in to the fryer with his butt in the air wagging like a dog and his face turning into a french fry, I thought I would split my sides laughing as Maura & James seem so completely startled by what they did. James Rebhorn who was the shipping tycoon in "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and the doctor in "Cold Mountain" turns in another good performance.

Kevin Corrigan plays the fry cook Banco who appears to know too much. His demise adds to the demented fury of Mac's descent into madness. Corrigan acted in a film last year called "Sexual Life" that also starred James LeGros. One thing "Scotland, PA" achieves is a real sense of ensemble in the cast. Amy Smart from "Bigger Than the Sky" plays the fortuneteller with Andy Dick & Timothy Speed Levitch as the two stoners who talk about chicken.

The film moves briskly. Morrissette's screenplay creates a new hybrid from the Shakespeare storyline. It was worked extremely well. Bravo!