Hamlet 2 (2008)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jim H

  
  A failed-actor-turned-drama-teacher attempts to save his high school's drama program by putting on an original work called <i>Hamlet 2</i>. This film is goofy as shit. There's no other way to describe Steve Coogan's performance or the premise as a whole.… More
  A failed-actor-turned-drama-teacher attempts to save his high school's drama program by putting on an original work called <i>Hamlet 2</i>. This film is goofy as shit. There's no other way to describe Steve Coogan's performance or the premise as a whole. The film constantly puts Coogan's character up for ridicule, and Coogan commits wholeheartedly to each wacky moment. And who would've thought that David Arquette could play the "strong" silent type? I've often wondered if a film about a character who has lost himself in movies would work, and in <i>Hamlet 2</i> it does only to the extent of screwball comedy. There is little in the way of dramatic tension, and I think your enjoyment of the film depends on your tolerance for goofiness. If nothing else, it's impossible to resist playing the sing-along version of "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" one more time.

• Daniel P

  
  I love Steve Coogan, but he can't carry this film. His performance is all over the place, and though he might hit the right notes for each scene, his character is wildly inconsistent. I love Catherine Keener, but I'm really tired of her playing the same, mailed-in, unhappily… More
  I love Steve Coogan, but he can't carry this film. His performance is all over the place, and though he might hit the right notes for each scene, his character is wildly inconsistent. I love Catherine Keener, but I'm really tired of her playing the same, mailed-in, unhappily married/divorced person every time out (40-Year-Old Virgin; Synecdoche, New York; Cyrus, etc.). And I don't hate awkward humour. When done right, as it occasionally is in Hamlet 2, I actually find it quite funny. So - what the hell happened? This film is clunky and difficult and very hard to watch, painfully unfunny in places, but producing just enough laughs that you can't turn it off. Or maybe you can. Part of me would say, actually, that you should. I had to take a break and return for the ending a day later, and really, it wasn't worth finishing. The last line was interesting, though, given when I watched it (Jan 10-17, 2010): "No matter where you, it's always going to be better than Tuscon." I blame Sarah Palin. Yuk yuk yuk. From the co-writer of South Park and Team America. NOTE: Not Matt Stone. Not Trey Parker. Pam Brady. Who? Exactly. Flashes of hope in this film, but ultimately, a huge letdown. I was pulling for a cult classic but this one just didn't deliver. PS: David Arquette? Really? The eventual reason for his "just standing there" performance is evident from the beginning. Easiest. Paycheque. Ever.

• Stuart B

  
  So funny I can't believe I had not watched this sooner. Coogan is a comedy genius and gets to show off his many talents in this great comedy movie.

• Bannan i

  
  This was sooo awesome, Steve Coogan's just amazing. There I've said it, now what you're you waiting for? Go watch it! xD review TBC

• Johnny D. H

  
  It was okay. It has some pretty funny parts, but the characters didn't have much development or room to express themselves, which is weird because it's a movie about kids in a drama class. The sudden shift in how the characters gain interest in the idea of the play Hamlet 2… More
  It was okay. It has some pretty funny parts, but the characters didn't have much development or room to express themselves, which is weird because it's a movie about kids in a drama class. The sudden shift in how the characters gain interest in the idea of the play Hamlet 2 makes the attitudes of them not seem real at all. I got tiresome and just wanted to see how the play fell together at the end of the film. It was fun while it lasted though.

• Spencer S

  
  The most surprising comedy of the year, and the most entertaining. Steve Coogan does it again.

• Michael S

  
  A different kind of comedy... stupid, low key, and just WAY out there. It stays entertaining till the end and Coogan gives this material his all, but I just wish it was a lot funnier. Still, a mild recommendation for those looking for something a little different.

• Conner R

  
  A really funny and original movie that isn't afraid to take serious issues lightly. Steve Coogan does a great job of taking the reigns of a lead roleA really neat thing in it was that it touches on the fact that theater programs in school are horrible.

• Gordon A

  
  The funny script and on form Coogan raise this above average. He just about keeps the character watchable and the supporting cast are all game. A lot better than it looks from the trailer.

• Lenny M

  
  Some really funny moments here but other than the random absurdities the screenplay is empty.

• Emily A

  
  I can't think of a single bad thing to say about this movie. I was so sad when I had to return it. Everyone in this movie is fantastic, especially Steve Coogan as the clueless and boundlessly energetic and emotional drama teacher. He is a really good actor, and it seems ironic… More
  I can't think of a single bad thing to say about this movie. I was so sad when I had to return it. Everyone in this movie is fantastic, especially Steve Coogan as the clueless and boundlessly energetic and emotional drama teacher. He is a really good actor, and it seems ironic that it would take one to play such a bad actor. Oh man. I want to start watching this again, right now.

• Ken S

  
  Good, not great. Coogan is fantastic.

• Chris G

  
  I've never really liked the inspiration teacher films. You know the ones. Stand and Deliver, Mr. Holland's Opus, and so on (Lean on Me is excluded from this list). What Hamlet 2 does is take that sub genre and turn it upside down by making the teacher a pathetic moron and… More
  I've never really liked the inspiration teacher films. You know the ones. Stand and Deliver, Mr. Holland's Opus, and so on (Lean on Me is excluded from this list). What Hamlet 2 does is take that sub genre and turn it upside down by making the teacher a pathetic moron and letting the students learn from his mistakes. Steve Coogan plays Dana Marchz, a washed up actor who is a drama teacher in Tuscon. His class is usually two students and his poorly attended plays are usually stage remakes of big Hollywood movies. When he gets a large influx of students he goes into Mr. Holland mode, even though none of the kids respond to him. It's not until the drama program gets eliminated by budget cuts that he gets the kids motivated by making an over the top sequel to William Shakespeare's Hamlet which includes a time machine and appearances by Einstein and Jesus Christ. Hamlet 2 is not like watching a person stumble into something bigger and better than himself. He train wrecks into it. He sinks the Titanic into it. Dana's life is literally falling apart around him and this little play ends up a redemption tale somewhat with him ironically playing the role of a current trendsetter Jesus Christ who appears in the musical number "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" which will be in your head for days after seeing this movie. I'm humming it right now. The film accomplishes the parody of those mentor movies but ends up in the same place- giving something to their students, even if it is offensive and not politically correct. It's one of those movies that's funny, but it's not turned on trying to get laughs every five minutes. It gets them anyway. And no, I'm not giving this praise because of my Elisabeth Shue fetish.

• Cassandra M

  
  Hamlet 2 Expected: 27 February After what seems like ages, the Steve Coogan comedy finally arrives, more than a year after it premiered to great success at Sundance. The wacky yet sometimes caustic comedy of a failed actor-turned-nearly-failed acting teacher is packed full of belly… More
  Hamlet 2 Expected: 27 February After what seems like ages, the Steve Coogan comedy finally arrives, more than a year after it premiered to great success at Sundance. The wacky yet sometimes caustic comedy of a failed actor-turned-nearly-failed acting teacher is packed full of belly laughs and a great cast that features Catherine Keener, Amy Poehler and some top notch newcomers. Ah, how refreshing to find a comedy that isn't just gross-out gags, sentimental chick flick trash, or predictable Hollywood tripe... while Hamlet 2 isn't brilliant, and it isn't the funniest thing I've seen ever, it certainly carries its own, and this is largely in part due to Steve Coogan's performance. Coogan is amazing as the fruity drama teacher who's life is falling apart. His shows are getting panned by a snarky underclassman, his marriage is falling apart, and he is totally uninspired. Through a series of events, he has an all-out crisis, but in a clever switch on the teacher inspires the students genre (Stand and Deliver, Higher Education), the students rally in their own way to help him create his masterpiece - Hamlet 2. Hamlet 2 is ferociously politically incorrect, and this leads to the principal and some members of the community to try to close down the show, the ACLU (Amy Poehler!) gets involved, and the final performance of the show is a little bit mind blowing... ah, Sexy Jesus. Yes, this is stuff we've all seen before, but Coogan's performance and his supporting cast, along with solid writing make this a Hollywood comedy that is actually funny. Since it doesn't have any big stars, and it is a bit atypical, Hamlet 2 will probably fall by the wayside, but don't miss it if you've got the chance - there is hope for comedy yet! Look out for: Musical moment Rock Me Sexy Jesus.

• Summer W

  
  Simply hysterical, clever and fun, this film evokes many odd memories thought long buried (high school drama class anyone?), and oddly enough I laughed the whole while. Steve Coogan is nothing short of brilliant. If you're a fan of films that are equal parts silly and smart (and… More
  Simply hysterical, clever and fun, this film evokes many odd memories thought long buried (high school drama class anyone?), and oddly enough I laughed the whole while. Steve Coogan is nothing short of brilliant. If you're a fan of films that are equal parts silly and smart (and perhaps mildly offensive), this is the one for you.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"One high school drama teacher is about to make a huge number 2"</i> Steve Coogan stars in the comedy Hamlet 2, which follows a drama teacher who tries to put together a production of "Hamlet 2" to rescue his high-school theater department.… More
  <i>"One high school drama teacher is about to make a huge number 2"</i> Steve Coogan stars in the comedy Hamlet 2, which follows a drama teacher who tries to put together a production of "Hamlet 2" to rescue his high-school theater department. Catherine Keener co-stars in the Andrew Fleming-helmed production. <b><u>Review</u></b> Armed with long foppish hair, a non descript American accent of the kind you use for comedy sketches and a truckle of comic energy, Steve Coogan is likable, if not memorable as a failed actor turned drama teacher that rouses his troop of slack jawed misfits to stage his self-penned sequel to Shakespeare's opus, in an attempt to save his drama class from the axe. A self-conscious riff on the likes of Dead Poet's society, it combines vulgarity and stupidity to good effect in a formulation that will be familiar to fans of writer Pam Brady's work on South Park and Team America. There are lots of good setups ? Coogan's drunk wife lamenting the couple's fertility problems in a restaurant, Elizabeth Shue popping up as herself, having given up acting for nursing and the play itself ? including the memorable number '(I feel like) I've been raped in the face'. It's a quirky enough vehicle for Coogan to adapt his slightly awkward, self-important F-ed up persona for an American audience and there are laughs to be had, though occasionally it feels a bit laboured. Not the breakthrough Coogan may have envisioned but it won't do his stateside reputation, whatever that is, much harm either.

• Steve K

  
  One of the funnier movies I saw in all of 2008. Joyously blasphemous with a high level of jokes that actually elicit laughs. The kind of sleeper film you urge your friends to watch so they can laugh as well. Thanks, Herpecol!

• Jennifer X

  
  Save a few ridiculous moments, this is decisively UNfunny.

• First L

  
  Hamlet 2 (2008): Starring Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener, David Arquette, Elisabeth Shue, Amy Poehler Like "Napoleon Dynamite", "Hamlet 2" features a lead character who's (seemingly) unaware of reality and his circumstances in life. Dana Marschz (Coogan) is a… More
  Hamlet 2 (2008): Starring Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener, David Arquette, Elisabeth Shue, Amy Poehler Like "Napoleon Dynamite", "Hamlet 2" features a lead character who's (seemingly) unaware of reality and his circumstances in life. Dana Marschz (Coogan) is a washed up actor (best known for herpes commercials and juicer informercials) turned high school drama teacher who's drama class is being cut from the curriculum because of budget cuts. His previous productions, all adaptations of famous hollywood movies (such as Erin Brockavich), were brutally savaged by the school paper's drama critic, so Marschz decides to write a play/musical that will save the drama program in the school. His class is augmented by a large group of troubled hispanic students who have no other place to go that period. Inspired by the movie, "Dangerous Minds", he decides to "reach out" to these students and soon a full-fledged production is undertaken for his new play, "Hamlet 2". The principle of the school of course objects to the subject matter (the play opens with an orgy scene, and includes such numbers as "Rock Me Sexy Jesus"), and shuts it down. Soon, the play becomes an example of free speech and is being covered in the New York Times and sparks the interest of the ACLU. Meanwhile, his home life isn't going so smoothly either, his shrewish wife (Keener-the exact opposite of her character in "40 year old virgin"), is trying to get pregnant and their roommate (Arquette) isn't helping matters either. This is a movie that hinges almost entirely on the lead performances. The jokes are mostly pratfalls and swear words. It's the lead character, and how he sells crazy that makes it work. He's playing a character who delves into wide-eyed, childlike wonderment at any given moment, then two seconds later is racked with emotion as tears are streaming from his eyes. It's a film that's neither overtly intellectual nor crudely dumb, but at times flashes brilliant examples of both. The musical/play sounds ludicrous enough until you see it at the end and then somehow it all makes sense. The emotional impact of this movie isn't necessarily readily accessible, and it's only after the 3rd viewing I am left an emotional wreck. It's the musical montage (of Jesus and Hamlet travelling back through time) during the actual performance of the musical play. It's a moment of realization, when you see the writer's influences (like the hollywood blockbuster) manifested on the stage. Like a sad clown singing out in a beautiful tenor, or the town drunk playing Bach on the piano in the back of the bar, it's a moment when art triumphs over circumstances. There are so many great artists in the world who you'll never know existed because they're regarded as kooks or flakes. This is for all those who've had to watch their artistic vision crumble in the face of adversity.

• Nate Z

  
  [COLOR=DarkRed][FONT=Arial]Believe it or not, there actually is a sequel out there about William Shakespeare's most famous play concerning family dysfunction. Author David Bergantino surely doesn't feel that he can improve upon the Bard's classic Hamlet, but Bergantino… More
  [COLOR=DarkRed][FONT=Arial]Believe it or not, there actually is a sequel out there about William Shakespeare's most famous play concerning family dysfunction. Author David Bergantino surely doesn't feel that he can improve upon the Bard's classic Hamlet, but Bergantino is a writer who doesn't cower from a challenge, like where to go next when all the main characters are dead. That's why Bergantino took it upon himself to write Hamlet II: Ophelia's Revenge (no joke). Apparently modern students at Globe University are playing out a family squabble very similar to anyone that has taken a high school literature class. The synopsis over at Amazon.com says it better than I could ever hope: "When he unexpectedly inherits a creepy old castle in Denmark, Cameron tries to put his worries behind him, inviting his girlfriend and college buddies along on an overseas trip to check out the gloomy fortress. The plan is to get some serious partying done. Too bad nobody counted on the ghost of a drowned girl rising from her watery grave with vengeance on her mind! Now the only question is: to die or not to die?" In the wake of Hamlet 2, a popular comedy at the Sundance Film Festival, I pity Bergantino. The man is going to be the Leif Ericson of pointless Shakespeare sequels: forgotten by history at the original pioneer. The film Hamlet 2 follows the miserable life of Dana Marschz (Steve Coogan). He teaches drama at a Tucson, Arizona public school and barely gets paid. His wife (Catherine Keener) is anxious to get pregnant and convinced Dana is shooting blanks. The couple is so poor that they have to rent out their home to a boarder (David Arquette). His drama class has two very WASP-y pupils (Phoebe Strole and Skyler Astin), but the rest are disinterested Hispanic students bussed in from another school district. The school's theater critic chides Dana's laughable productions of Hollywood movies, like Mississippi Burning and Erin Brocovich. Then comes the news that drama has been slashed from the school budget. The pint-sized theater critic tells Dana to try something original to save the drama department. The answer? Hamlet 2. Thanks to a time machine, and Hamlet's new best buddy Jesus Christ, the pair can go back and save everyone who previously perished. Hamlet 2 is Coogan's show and the British comic makes his character endearing sad-sack. His character is pathetic and subject to all sorts of personal humiliations, and yet Dana is so earnest that it makes it hard not to empathize with his exploits. Coogan has a wild leer to him that gives the character a manic edge of desperation. He's a gifted comic but he's used to playing smug, droll characters, and Dana Marschz is the exact opposite of that mold. Coogan's many breakdowns and bouncy spirit give the material an extra lift. He works hard for every laugh. It's a shame, though, that he sort of disappears into the background during the staging of his infamous play. So what is the comedic point of view with Hamlet 2? Are we to laugh at Dana and find him a buffoon? Well if that's the case, then why serve up a musical finale that's actually worthwhile and completely hilarious? The production values are pretty extravagant given the money limitations on the characters. Not only that, it's so bonkers that I wanted to just watch Hamlet 2 on stage and not cut back to life outside. I wanted to luxuriate in the inspired craziness of a musical that involves time travel, Shakespeare, Albert Einstein, the song "Raped in the Face," the devil, the Gay Men's Chorus, lots of father issues, and Jesus moonwalking over water. That's way more interesting than the ho-hum characters interacting backstage. In truth, the play's the thing and it's way too short for my liking. The performance serves as the film's payoff, so I wanted to get every crazy kernel of shameless joy. The "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" song is irresistible and I haven't been able to get it out of my head for days. It's so bouncy and fun and melodic. I'll be walking along and then I'll start humming the damn thing. I doubt that I will come across a catchier original song in movie this year. Hopefully those bigwigs in the Academy will realize the tune's musical merits and give it a nomination it rightfully deserves. Then is Hamlet 2 a parody of all those treacly teacher inspiration movies, the kind that seem to always be populated by tough minority kids who just need someone to take the time and break through to them? Well Dana constantly refers to Hollywood movies like they're documentaries, and even a whole class lecture concerns Dangerous Minds. When he accidentally injures a student, Dana jumps at his students being alert and offers in summation, "Yes it was stupid but it was theater." The movie takes some shots against the likes of Dead Poet's Society and Mr. Holland's Opus, but ultimately Hamlet 2 becomes yet another inspirational teacher movie. Dana is able to rally his students to the cause of theater, prejudices are broken down, and certain students take charge of their young lives. It's all so predictable, and predictability blunts edginess and can destroy comedy. The only true genre tweak seems to come when standoffish Octavio's background comes to light. He's not the underprivileged wannabe gangster but a bright kid whose been admitted to an Ivy League school early. And his parents don't object to the play because of "ethnic narrow-mindness" but because they think it's poorly written. Like Dana's students, the film never seems to match its potential. The concept is great and so is having a main character who is inspired by theater but profoundly inept at teaching it. Dana lacks talent but can it be made up for with such big-hearted enthusiasm? There is plenty of ripe material there, but Hamlet 2 doesn't seem to fully realize the comedic possibilities. Watching Dana fight administration officials in the name of the arts is worthwhile conflict but it's rarely funny. Keener seems wasted as Dana's passive-aggressive wife. An ACLU lawyer (Amy Poehler) is a great political target, especially as she fights in the name of bad art, but she appears too late in the film to be really capitalized. The climactic staging of Dana's masterwork is another example of not fully thinking out the comic potential of a situation. Here's a perfect example: Elisabeth Shue appears in the film as herself, actress Elisabeth Shue. She's quit the acting business and taken residence as a nurse in Tucson. What exactly is the joke here? Is it that Hollywood has the habit of spitting out aging actresses? Dana's students have no idea who Shue is. Is it self-parody? If it was self-parody then the filmmakers needed to give Shue more of a personality. She's appears infrequently and beams a nice smile but that seems like the only demand, though I must admit always in her nurse outfit, a nice visual gag. If Hamlet 2 had spent more time in revision it would utilize the comic possibilities of integrating a real-life actress playing herself in such a remote city. Ultimately, I don't know what to make out of Hamlet 2. It's a marginally funny and entertaining venture that celebrates the power of the arts, which is a noble cause. Coogan straps the production on his back and carries it as far as he can go. There are some decent laughs and the closing 15 minutes is a giddy blast. However, the movie often feels flat and simply odd, missing potential punchlines and settling for second-rate comedic situations. The crafty premise afforded better material then what eventually comes across onscreen. The whole thing also feels like a mild retread of Waiting for Guffman. But take heart, because Bergantino is not about to lose the spotlight just yet. He also has written A Midsummer Night's Scream: Hamlet II (I have no idea where the two stories connect but that's the genius of it). It's only a penny at Amazon.com. Get it while you can. Or don't. Preferably, don't. Nate's Grade: B-[/FONT][/COLOR]

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