Hamlet 2
Posted by swannernjudd on August 13, 2008
Official Site: www.hamlet2.com
Rated: R for language including sexual references, brief nudity and some drug content
Swanner: Every year, a few movies become audience favorites from the Sundance Film Festival…Hamlet 2 is one of those darlings. This is the story of an actor turned high school drama teacher who is about to have his drama program cancelled. With one last attempt to save theater our protagonist writes the play Hamlet 2. This is a strange film to describe.
Judd: I would describe it as not very good. It wanted to be witty, sharp and pleasantly offensive but it comes off as trying too hard and really not that funny. There were some moments that were genuinely funny, but the more I think about the movie the less I liked it. There were scenes that were absolutely pointless. There were subplots that were nothing but filler. I think Hamlet 2 being the darling of Sundance speaks less to the quality of Hamlet 2 as it does to the quality of the other movies shown.
Swanner: I liked it more than you did but not a lot more. I did think there were a lot a funny moments in the film but they were either cheap laughs or they had to work way too hard to get them. I think the lead actor Steve Coogan and the director Andrew Fleming are a lot of the blame. Coogan was good but there are times when it seemed he was lost and he just couldn’t carry the film. A perfect example is when he first meets Elizabeth Shue, watching him mug for the camera was painful.
Judd: I’m actually having a hard time remembering the parts I liked. Catherine Keener played his wife and she was a lot of fun, but there was nothing particularly good about her character. She played the drunk bitchy wife tired of her husbands failings. That’s not a new role and she didn’t say any one-liners that were real zingers. But compared to the rest of the movie she was one of the best things about it.
Swanner: When the play is in production there are some funny parts but my favorite in the movie was Amy Poehler from SNL. She was making me laugh big time. I’d suggest that people wait for DVD unless they really are in to independent film that just miss the mark.
Swanner: 2 Stars
Judd: 1 Star
