Hamlet 2 [Movie Review]

Sundance darling Hamlet 2 is a refreshing take on the tired 'inspirational teacher' plot line that has bombarded audiences for decades.

Whereas films like Stand and Deliver seek to touch and inspire audiences with the gripping tale of a seasoned professor uniting a racially divided class by inspiring them to work towards a better future, Hamlet 2 doesn't pretend to be anything but a hilarious satire of this genre.

Veteran English actor Steve Coogen stars as Dana Marschz, a washed up actor who settles for teaching theater in Tucson Arizona. Instead of producing classic Shakespearian dramas, or writing his own original works, Marschz has a passion for turning popular Hollywood films into productions for his students to bring to life. The results are often disastrous.

The film's catalyst is revealed when rampant budget cuts and a case of mold in the portable classrooms mean that a whole flock of seemingly underprivileged Hispanic students are forced to enroll in Marschz's drama class, as it is the only elective left.

Pretty soon, these same budget cuts threaten the existence of the drama program as well, and Marschz is informed that there will be no class the following year.

In a last ditch effort to save the program, Marschz writes his first original play, Hamlet 2, an incredibly vulgar, off-beat, modern, musical sequel to Shakespeare's classic. Even though the play seems like an abomination at first, the ragtag group of students, and their professor vow to bring Hamlet 2 to the stage, despite the strict displeasure of the school's principal.

What follows is 92 minutes of pure entertainment. Hamlet 2 is infused with a hearty helping of both hilarity and vulgarity, but it is probably not controversial enough to make you feel guilty for laughing at it. Yet, with musical numbers like "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" and "Raped in the Face" the film, much like the fictional play being produced, may not sit well with anyone who takes entertainment too seriously.

While several of the young actors deliver superb performances, the film's success rests largely on the shoulders of Coogen, and his on-screen wife Brie (Portrayed by Catherine Keener). Both deliver plenty of laughs, yet their characters definitely have some depth. Both find themselves unhappy, living lives that do not live up to their own expectations or dreams, and we watch both characters deal with their pitfalls in very different ways.

Hamlet 2 lights up the screen as a film with both heart and balls.

*B+