Hamlet 2
I guess this cements Forgetting Sarah Marshall as the best comedy this summer, despite coming out in April. Hamlet 2 is the latest comedy from director Andy Fleming of Dick fame. While it certainly is not great, I believe (unlike the rest of Cat Fancy) that if seen with the right mindset, this film can be enjoyed.
Dana Marschz (it’s difficult to pronounce) is a failed actor and high school drama teacher. He always loved acting, but he was never very good at it. More so, he’s seen movies like Mr. Holland’s Opus or Dead Poets Society far too many times, and seems to believe he can inspire his students just like those fictional teachers. When the drama program is in danger, Marschz decides to save it by putting on a play he wrote, “Hamlet 2.”
A lot of this movie doesn’t work. The lovely Catherine Keener and questionable David Arquette go to waste. The two teacher’s pet kids are painful to watch. It’s never explained why the other students, especially Haywood, suddenly care so much about the class and the play. The Elisabeth Shue stuff is just kind of weird.
However, Steve Coogan is great. Almost all the laughs in the movie come from him. For some reason, I found the things he said and the way he acts a lot funnier than my peers did. Also, when we finally get to see the play, it’s really funny. I think we all wish we could have just seen a lot more of that.
So, really, Hamlet 2 isn’t anything great. It’s really stupid, really crude, really offensive. But it was fun for me, and I’ve got to be true to myself.