Movie Review: Hamlet 2

Directed By: Andrew Fleming

Starring:
Steve Coogan as Dana Marschz
Catherine Keener as Brie Marschz
Amy Poehler as Cricket

Hamlet 2 is not, as one might expect, a sequel to William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, but rather a movie about a school production of a sequel. The play is being helmed by Dana Marschz (Coogan), a down-on-his-luck drama teacher. Steve Coogan, a British actor in the process of transitioning into the American industry, is charming, but this is a thankless and faulty role. Marschz is a detestable man, sleazy and rarely amusing; Coogan plays him better than anyone else could have, but it hardly matters. The same cannot be said for the supporting cast members, almost all of whom are given more likable and interesting characters to portray. They all combine in a funny--yet not uproariously hilarious, as some critics might claim--and brutally politically incorrect comedy that mocks everything from Shakespeare and Jesus Christ to Hillary Clinton and the ACLU. It may not be Shakespeare, but it’s good nonetheless.

The life of Dana Marschz has been a fairly pathetic one; he has no income, is so broke that he and his wife (Keener) must take in a boarder (David Arquette), is on the verge of losing his drama department at Tucson High School, and is famous primarily for doing a commercial for a sexually-transmitted disease medication. “I'm having a herpes outbreak, right now--but you'd never know it. Thanks, Herpocol!” He chortles, flashing a glistening grin at the television screen. It’s funny because we have all seen these commercials, have all wondered what kind of actor would be a part of them…and now we know. After his last play, a rendition of Erin Brockovich, was panned by the school newspaper and viewed by only a handful of people, he is informed that his program will be cancelled if he cannot show a significant improvement with his next production.

Now, stop to think how deranged a man must be if he would be willing to put his career on the line with a sequel to William Shakespeare’s Hamlet…involving a time machine, Jesus, Albert Einstein, and Hillary Clinton. Not surprisingly, the school administration is outraged and the local community is disgusted. Parents refuse to allow their children to participate in such a profane and offensive play. Out of everyone, I sympathize with them; I wouldn’t want my sixteen-year-old to take part in something like this. But, most of these parents just throw up their hands and let their kids do it; in the end, they are cheering along with the other remaining audience members. The play, banned by the school’s supposedly stuffy (but probably just sane) principal, is relocated to an abandoned old warehouse. Sure enough, protesters show up; when will they learn that picketing stuff only gives it free publicity?

Hamlet 2 is a funny film, but its greatest flaw is an inevitable one given the premise. Its story depends on the stupidity of its main character, a fumbling and unlikable man. He must be there to propel all of the new jokes and offensive remarks, but we can’t help but wish he wasn’t. This is rectified by a more subtle supporting cast, including the dryly humorous Catherine Keener and the always-wonderful Amy Poehler. Hamlet 2 is at its very best when it is slyly poking fun at Elisabeth Shue, playing herself. She has retired from the vicious movie business in order to become a nurse and just happens to be Marschz’s favorite actress. In the end, she is the play’s biggest supporter, laughing hysterically while everyone else is storming away out of their seats. I cannot say that I was as enthusiastic as she was about this film, but I certainly wasn’t leaving my seat either.