3
Sep
Hamlet 2: Though This Be Madness, Yet There Is Method In’t
by Ashley Pierce
0 Comments | Posted by thatgirl in Amuse Me, Sit Back
The Sundance Film Festival hit, Hamlet 2, arriveth in theaters nationwide this week. An irreverent comedy from the co-writers of Team America: World Police and South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, the film stars Steve Coogan (Night at the Museum) as eccentric high school drama teacher, Dana Marchz. Marchz is a failed actor and what he lacks in the talent department, he makes up for with passion for his art and the desire to inspire his students.
When his stage adaptation of “Erin Brockovich” flops and receives harsh reviews from the ninth grade drama critic, the principal of Tucson’s West Mesa High School threatens to shut down the drama department. Marchz rallies his ragtag group of students and hopes to save the program with a sequel to the Shakespearean classic “Hamlet,” which he ingeniously coins “Hamlet 2.” Like the film itself, the inappropriately hysterical play which explores what would happen if “Hamlet” didn’t end with the death of the entire cast, is a huge hit with the community. Despite opposition at almost every turn, with the help of Elisabeth Shue (playing herself) and an ACLU representative (Amy Poehler), freedom of speech and artistic expression prevail.
In a summer of raunchy comedies, this film stands out for its true originality. While often outright offensive and tip-toeing the line between stupidity and insanity, the film proves to be hilarious and oddly genuine at heart. In an impressive feat, Coogan somehow makes this loser lovable and the audience roots for him from start to finish. Elisabeth Shue provides the film’s more subtle humor and shines playing herself, but in the form of a character who left the superficial world of acting to become a nurse. The film’s highlight is the climatic performance of “Hamlet 2,” which brings down the house with musical numbers like “Rock Me Sexy Jesus.” The story drags a little on its way to this impressive finale, but once you accept the preposterous and profane world that director Andrew Fleming (Nancy Drew) has created, you can appreciate Hamlet 2 for being inappropriately endearing. As Shakespeare wrote in the original “Hamlet,” “though this be madness, yet there is method in’t” and the same is true for this wacky, but funny film.
That Girl says: Like it! While Hamlet 2 may not be for everyone, fans of Napoleon Dynamite and Christopher Guest-like comedy will enjoy this off-beat laugher. As for the rest of us, like the patrons of the play in the film’s finale, we’ll just be ‘simultaneously horrified and fascinated.’
Release Date: August 27th, 2008 (Wide)
Running Time: 92 minutes
Rated: R
Company: Focus Features
Cast: Steve Coogan – Dana Marschz
Catherine Keener – Brie Marschz
David Arquette – Gary
Amy Poehler – Cricket Feldstein
Elisabeth Shue – Herself
Director: Andrew Fleming
Official Site: http://filminfocus.com/focus-movies/hamlet-2/movie-splash.php