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HAMLET 2 Send This Review to a Friend
It is frustrating to encounter a film with funny elements but as a whole not nearly funny enough. The basic idea is promising--a failed actor relegated to running the dramatic program at a high school, finding little talent among the students, being looked down upon by the principal and concocting an outrageous musical sequel to “Hamlet” to defy the doubters. When the teacher is played by Steve Coogan, the possibilities multiply. But unlike, for example, his excellent performance n “Trisham Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story,” his work here is embarrassingly overkill. A little of him goes a long way, and instead of building to crescendos of comedy the film deflates to tiresomeness.
The screenplay was co-written by Andrew Fleming, the director, and Pam Brady, who set the story in Tuscon, Arizona. There are some droll ideas, such as the approach by Dana Marschz (Coogan) to adapting movies for the stage, as he attempts with “Erin Brockovich.” All he touches is a failure, and it is funny to see a pint-size ninth grader, critic of the school newspaper, pompously telling Marschz what’s wrong with the show.
Catherine Keener plays the drama teacher’s fed-up wife, who adds to his woes by leaving him for a lover. Plopped amid the school personnel is Elizabeth Shue playing herself, with Marschz overwhelmed by the joy of proximity to his favorite actress. There is an amusing scene in which she is persuaded to give a talk to the students, who know nothing about her and couldn’t care less. Amy Poehler gives a crass, overdone portrayal of a local ACLU lawyer. Skylar Aston and Phoebe Strole portray the drama coach’s key students.
Everything is peripheral to Coogan’s star turn, including the plot that becomes increasingly silly. That would be all right if the material and Coogan were funny enough. No such luck. A Focus Features release,
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