‘Hamlet 2’

Director: Andrew Fleming

Actors: Steve Coogan, Katherine Keener, Joseph Soria

3 out of 4 stars

Combine the writer and producer of ‘South Park’ and ‘Team America: World Police’ with the writer and director of ‘The Craft,’ and the result is ‘Hamlet 2,’ a film about tragedy, betrayal and one serious acid trip.

Set in the town of Tucson, Ariz., ‘Hamlet 2’ follows a failed actor’s journey to stardom – or something like it.

In a desperate attempt to save his high school drama program, Dana Marschz (Steve Coogan) writes a play based on the biggest ‘what if’ of Shakespearian drama: what if Hamlet had a time machine and could go back to save his sister, wife and even forgive his father? Even better, what if he could take Jesus, Satan and George W. Bush with him?

The play gets Marschz fired from his teaching job and starts a national uproar over free speech. But Marschz’s students’ love for drama and belief in their teacher makes the show a success – eventually leading them to Broadway.

Nothing goes right for good-natured Marschz, which elicits some overwhelming sympathy from the audience, making ‘Hamlet 2’ more than a simple, shocking comedy. It becomes a story about an actor’s journey from a herpes commercial star to a Broadway inspiration.

Coincidentally, the role launched lead actor Coogan into critical bliss, after years as a Hollywood ‘almost.’

While he was no blockbuster mishap – with roles in ‘A Night at the Museum,’ ‘Tropic Thunder’ and ‘Hot Fuzz’ – after 20 years of acting, he has only recently been acknowledged as Hollywood gold.

Coogan’s portrayal of the washed out, infertile drama teacher left audience members delighted and brought a sense of humanity to his first on-screen lead.

Better yet, director Andrew Fleming brings a colorful cast of young, unknown actors to the production – making the film all the more interesting to watch. Hollywood newcomers Skylar Astin and Joseph Soria star alongside the more experienced ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’ star Catherine Keener and David Arquette of ‘Scream’ fame. The mix supports Coogan’s goofy, but charming endeavors.

Although ‘Hamlet 2’ was marketed as a controversial movie mocking Jesus, Bush and the American Civil Liberties Union, at its heart the film is about forgiveness and the struggle to accomplish something great.

Of course farcical comedy, crude sexual remarks and humor through humiliation weren’t off limits. Any film that creates a song centered on the expression ‘raped in the face’ doesn’t hold back much in the way of class, but the ‘wow’ factor didn’t make this film raunchy, it made it painfully amusing.

For example, ‘Rock Me Sexy Jesus,’ the film’s most infamous ballad, preaches morality through humility, understanding and compassion – while Jesus dances around in a wife-beater and stonewashed blue jeans.

Overall, ‘Hamlet 2’ did something most comedies can’t: it brought purpose to something that would otherwise be ridiculous.

rdjone03@syr.edu

Published on September 3, 2008 at 12:00 pm