Movie Reviews
Hamlet 2: Just Fresh Enough
Greg Kaczynski |
 |
 If it weren’t for Steve Coogan, Hamlet 2 could easily be lost in the shuffle of generic Hollywood comedy whack, but largely thanks to his genuine and heartfelt portrayal of loser theater teacher Dana Marschz, the film shines as a clever twist on the age-old tale of a teacher inspiring his students to excel.
Dana Marschz used to be an actor, but not a very good one, so, as they say, those who can’t do, teach, and in turn, Dana works as a not very good acting teacher at a Tucson, Arizona high school. Surrounded by the two stereotypical theater dorks, Rand and Epiphany (Skylar Astin and Phoebe Strole), who adore his every move, he’s caught off-guard when the principal threatens to close the drama department because of the awful productions he puts up. His most recent failure: a stage adaptation of Erin Brockovich, which is summarily panned in the school newspaper by the ninth grade theater critic.
At home, Dana and his wife (Catherine Keener) have run into a rough spell in their marriage, and a curious border (David Arquette) is spending more time with her than he is. The dry chemistry between Coogan and Keener works as a fantastic counterweight to the zaniness happening within his drama class. Without getting sappy or banal, the few scenes which delve into their personal life carry a certain potency to them.
 At school, Dana and his class of mostly disinterested students need to find a way to save the drama program. In time--and with much urging by his class--Dana decides to tackle his sweetheart project which has been shoved aside for ages: Hamlet 2.
Trying to save his job and his marriage, the personal crisis that Dana is going through is played with just the right amount of reality by Coogan to be hilarious. Coogan’s Dana is the kind of batty drama teacher many of us might remember having known in high school: the kind of person who gets inexcusably excited over things for the sole purpose of getting his students really excited. He’s the kind of guy who says things like, “Let’s get kookoo bananas.” It’s a kind of absurdity that actually exists, and Coogan and writers Pam Brady and Andrew Fleming take it just far enough to keep it charming.
That’s actually one aspect of the film that really shines, and it may be a hindrance to its success because of the specificity of the assumed target audience, but if you spent any time running with the theater crowd in high school, Brady and Fleming recreate that vibe unerringly well. Sealing the deal is the aforementioned theater dorks Rand and Epiphany, who make up what they “lack in talent with enthusiasm.”
 Throughout the movie, there are a number of comedic conventions that are refreshingly turned on their heads, but sadly, there are also moments where the writers dip into old hat tricks like name mispronunciation jokes. The film also suffers from a couple of predictably inexplicable character arcs, which is disappointing.
Then there’s the show within the show itself. Hamlet 2, the play, is a delight. It’s a mishmash of political incorrectness and off-color humor that is mostly done right. It’s a well-balanced mix of intellectual and slapstick humor with “sexy Jesus” as the main character and a gay men’s chorus singing “Maniac” thrown in for good measure.
While the townies get upset over the content of the show and try to shut it down, Dana’s students rally to keep Dana inspired in a lovely play on the old “teacher inspiring the kids to reach for the stars” theme. Amy Poehler makes a brief appearance as an ACLU attorney who helps keep the show running, but the role ultimately feels tacked on.
 Elisabeth Shue portrays herself in a tiny, memorable subplot, further inspiring Dana to pursue his dream and not give up.
Hamlet 2 runs at a brisk 92 minutes, keeping the jokes fresh and the on-screen work crisp. Filled by a cast of actors strong enough to carry the material, scenes never drag, and even though most of the material has been done before--and probably better--there is a real magic to watching Coogan play a part in a story of this type. He lends a certain amount of heart and an even greater amount of kookiness that makes this film sparkle just a little brighter than the majority of the Hollywood comedies coming down the conveyor belt.
Hamlet 2 is now playing in theaters.
For more information, visit hamlet2.com.
|
