Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead (2010)

43% of critics liked it
(14 reviews)
38% of users liked it
(3,527 ratings)

Living in the back room of his father's doctors office, broke, frustrated ladies man Julian (Jake Hoffman)scores his big break when he lands the job directing an off Broadway version of Hamlet. Except it's a bizarre adaptation written by a pale Romanian impresario named Theo(John Ventimiglia) who is… More Living in the back room of his father's doctors office, broke, frustrated ladies man Julian (Jake Hoffman)scores his big break when he lands the job directing an off Broadway version of Hamlet. Except it's a bizarre adaptation written by a pale Romanian impresario named Theo(John Ventimiglia) who is actually a master vampire! Theo hopes to lure the real Hamlet (Kris Lemche) out of hiding so the two can end a centuries long feud over Shakespeare's Ophelia. Meanwhile, Julian pines for his ex-girlfriend, Anna (Devon Aoki) who is dating a Mobster Bobby Bianchi (Ralph Macchio) intent on creating the next great invention - "Whack a Germ". Added into the mix is a dimwitted Detective (Jeremy Sisto), the Holy Grail, the Rosicrucian Society, a bunch of Sexy Vamps, God and a score by Sean Lennon and you've got the perfect mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Terry Gilliam, Dude Where's My Car and Woody Allen all in one fantastic film! -- (C) Indican

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 25 min.
Directed By: Jordan Galland
Written By: Jordan Galland
Genres: Horror, Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 4, 2010 Wide
On DVD: Nov 9, 2010
Studio: Indican Pictures

Critic Reviews

Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times
Starts off feeling clever and original but turns silly and diffused as its convoluted story spins out.
Michelle Orange, Village Voice
All of the riffs are twice and thrice removed, but the effect is lively rather than tiresome, largely on the strength of game performances, Sean Lennon's atmospheric score, and writer/director Jordan Galland's clear affection for his sources.
Mike Hale, New York Times
A toothless satire whose targets include vampire mania, low-rent theater, indie romantic comedies, Scorsese, Shakespeare and Law & Order, it plays like a Web series expanded to feature length.
Kyle Smith, New York Post
This loopy farce has the feel of a wacky off-off-Broadway play with more energy than wit, but it has its moments.
Dennis Harvey, Variety
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Undead is one sly slice of the ridiculous.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
A delightful mix of intelligence, hilarity, scares and unbridled talent...
Joe Lozito, Big Picture Big Sound
A clever title in search of a movie to support it, this playful mash-up of Shakespeare and vampires aims for the type of brain-twisting meta-plot that Charlie Kaufman has all but monopolized. Mr. Kaufman makes it look easy. It's not.
Ian Buckwalter, NPR.org
This is a movie so in love with its own supposed cleverness that it never realizes it's not all that clever.
Josh Bell, Filmcritic.com
Plays like a movie that started out as a clever pun and never really moved on from there.
Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
Will you ever see another film in which Hamlet's name is screamed histrionically in a fake Egyptian desert?
Andrew Schenker, Slant Magazine
The whole theatrical setup feels woefully underimagined.
Bill Gibron, PopMatters
If Hamlet is the greatest tragedy in the history of theater, than Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Undead is definitely one of the best spoofs of same.
Ed Scheid, Boxoffice Magazine
This comedy has some clever touches that make it mildly diverting, but it loses steam as characters lose their blood to the undead.
David Cornelius, DVDTalk.com
Displays both sharp literary intelligence and tongue-in-cheek pop silliness.

Read all 14 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jim H

A vampire hires a low-rent director to direct a version of Hamlet involving vampires and the Holy Grail. Aside from being frightfully dull, uneven, and genuinely unfunny, this film suffers from the construction of the main character, played by Jake Hoffman, who is so disaffected that… More
A vampire hires a low-rent director to direct a version of Hamlet involving vampires and the Holy Grail. Aside from being frightfully dull, uneven, and genuinely unfunny, this film suffers from the construction of the main character, played by Jake Hoffman, who is so disaffected that it is almost impossible to sympathize with him. And the love story is poorly developed; what the connection between these two is or how they resolve their conflicts remains a mystery. The story attempts to be a satire - I think - of off-off-Broadway, avant garde theater. The film contends that anything will fly in these venues, and that's true to some degree, but there's nothing funny about this thesis, and it's not presented in an original way. Shadow of the Vampire was far scarier and clearer in its barbs. Overall, this film is a boring, unfunny chore to watch.