Rating: 5/10

Part “Waiting for Guffman”, part “Stand & Deliver”, part “Rushmore”, “Hamlet 2″ gives Steve Coogan a lot of room to run free; a very good thing if you like his brand of humor.

Coogan plays failed actor Dana Marschz. (Yes, his last name is meant to be unpronounceable.) He lives in Tuscon, Arizona, a place writers Pam Brady and Andrew Fleming hint is where “dreams go to die”. Marschz is in charge of Drama at a high school and has a whopping two students. His plays are lame, reproductions of Hollywood fare and he gets deservedly reamed (or “raped in the face” as Marschz puts it) by the school paper drama critic, played well by sharp newcomer Shea Pepe.

Asbestos in the portable classrooms and the axing of almost all electives suddenly gives Marschz a room full of indifferent students. At the same time, the school principal gives Marschz a pink slip, telling him the money is just not there for Drama. Standing in front of a wall of sports trophies, the principal pronounces that all the arts are “on the chopping block”. If you, however, think this movie has an undercurrent serious agenda, you’re in for a disappointment.

At the urging of the school paper drama critic, who Marschz sees as some sort of a mentor/father figure, Marschz decides to create his own play; a play which will serve to save the school’s Drama department. “Hamlet 2” is born. Marschz uses the play to work out his issues with his father and to rip off a number of famous songs. Marschz, as your stereotypical dramatist, is quite the eccentric and his inspired opus’ themes touch a nerve in Tuscon. The principal tries to cancel the show, Christians are offended by his portrayal of Jesus Christ, most people with decent taste are outraged, threats are received; all this without anyone actually having seen the play.

The grand finale is, of course, the play itself, and though it begins somewhat clunkily, it does manage to find some sort of salvation towards its end. It’s so over the top with elaborate staging, wired action sequences, and a number of very adult themes, that the audience (both of them) are manipulated into a state of bewildered amazement.

“Hamlet 2″ does have a number of laughs, almost all of which are thanks to Coogan. Personally, I think he is excellent. Much to his credit, he rivals Christopher Guest’s “Corky St. Clair” of “Waiting for Guffman” fame. Coogan, thankfully, has the humility and ability to riff off of teenagers, cats, inanimate objects, you name it. He is the film’s saving grace because most of the side players are poorly written, poorly acted, or both. We know Catherine Keener can act, but she’s not doing much of it here. David Arquette, on the other hand, even fails at a bit part playing a dumbass. Amy Poehler is wasted, forced to recycle the same joke over and over again. One bright spot is Melanie Diaz, who was good in “Be Kind Rewind” and continues to show a level of depth which rises above the superficial pithy mostly seen here.

Filed under: 2008 by A.B.