Hamlet 2
by Andrew Fleming
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Catherine Keener, Elisabeth Shue, Joseph Julian Soria, Skylar Astin, Steve CooganDirector: Andrew Fleming
Brand: Universal Studios
Producer: Andrew Fleming
Writer: Andrew Fleming
Producer: Aaron Ryder
Producer: Albert Berger
Producer: Eric Eisner
Producer: Evan Lesser
Writer: Pam Brady
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 92 minutes
Published: 2008-12-01
DVD Release Date: 2008-12-21
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Universal Studios
Product features:
- Condition: New
- Format: DVD
- AC-3; Color; Dolby; Dubbed; DVD; Subtitled; Widescreen; NTSC
Movie Reviews of Hamlet 2
Movie Review: Spectacularly zany off-the-wall musical comedy . . . a perfect title
Summary: 5 Stars
Andrew and Pam Fleming co-wrote this bizarre, irreverent, hilarious, and completely original comedy . . . I must confess that I fear for their neighbors, because this pair views the world from a completely different point of view than the rest of us. While that's a boon to the movie-going public, I'm not sure I would want to borrow a cup of sugar from - Lord knows what they'd ask for in return.
If "Napoleon Dynamite" is a spoof of all teenager coming-of-age comedies, then "Hamlet 2" is a spoof of the "Let's put on a show" genre. Set in the completely mediocre town of Tuscon, the movie revolves around one Dana Marschz, a drama teacher who seemingly would have to aspire to great heights to achieve mediocre. Played by Steve Coogan with a zany pell-mell brio that brings to mind a young Eric Idle, Mr. Marschz is a semi-successful actor who has fallen on hard times. Now he teaches drama to mainly disinterested high school students and puts on derivative plays based on successful Hollywood movies. His marriage to Brie (Catherine Keener) is falling apart before his ignorant eyes and he can only roller-blade to work. Where, I should add, he is being fired due to budget cuts.
His career trajectory, one might say, has flatlined.
But then he decides to stage his magnum opus, a sequel to Hamlet. How, you ask, if everyone dies in the first one? Simple - a time machine! Not content to insult the legacy of Shakespeare's most famous play, Dana manages to offend virtually every sensibility in town.
But from Dana's madness comes greatness. Perhaps only through his unwavering faith in Art and the fact that he lives in a parallel universe where Elizabeth Shue plays herself as a local nurse (Shue having grown tired of the phoniness of Hollywood), but Dana believes he has created an artistic masterpiece.
The cool thing is, he may be right. Or he may be spectacularly wrong.
If possible, try to avoid any spoilers - this completely original movie must be experienced without any warning as to what is to come. Several gut-busting comic gems await if you do.
A must see for anyone who has ever struggled with art, had frustrated dreams, or attended high school. (It helps if you're familiar with the films of Elizabeth Shue, too.)
Summary of Hamlet 2
HAMLET 2 - DVD MovieJust when it seems as if things can't get any worse for high-school drama teacher Dana Marschz (Steve Coogan), he quips, "My life is a parody of a tragedy." Yet that very ability to laugh in the face of defeat will allow this failed actor to triumph over adversity. A lovably ridiculous dreamer like Waiting for Guffman?s Corky St. Clair, Marschz lives in Tucson with his sarcastic wife (Catherine Keener) and their silent boarder (David Arquette). Though he tries to inspire, like Richard Dreyfuss in Mr. Holland's Opus, only two students (Spring Awakening?s Skylar Astin and Phoebe Strole) share his passion for theatrics. When the principal decides to eliminate his department, Marschz makes a bold move: he writes an original play, lets the class contribute their own unique talents, and puts the whole thing on as a fundraiser (they'll need to bring in $6,000). Sure, everyone dies at the end of Shakespeare's classic, but in Marschz?s musical sequel, Hamlet 2, a time machine allows the Danish prince to turn back the clock to set things right. Just as his production starts to take shape and retired actress Elisabeth Shue (played by Shue) offers her support, his marriage hits the rocks, he starts drinking again, and the community protests against numbers like "Rock Me Sexy Jesus." (Amy Poehler portrays his ACLU attorney.) Though Andrew Fleming?s comedy follows the usual inspirational instructor trajectory, ribald humor helps the medicine go down and Coogan gives his most unhinged performance since Tristram Shandy. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Stills from Hamlet 2 (Click for larger image)
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