I feel betrayed. Hamlet2 trailers led me to believe I was on the verge of experiencing a comedic opus of grandiose and musically hysterical proportions. This was only true for about 15 minutes of the entire film. For the rest, it proved nothing more than an uncomfortable romp through one man's failing career as he did nothing but let every element of his life spin wildly out of control. Yet I'm torn, as is the pattern with Steve Coogan, you never know if that feeling of unease is Coogan's intent or if he was trying for straight up comedy and failed. After all, the elements were there, it just feels like the timing didn't quite fall into place.
Dana Marschz (Coogan) teaches drama - poorly. He's the walking, talking drama teacher cliché who references theater and drops names like a man without shame. Unfortunately, as is the trend in these United States, the school is looking to cut the performing arts department and offers Dana one last chance to put on a play. With only a week-long turnaround Dana creates Hamlet2, the answer to the drama department's salvation. With a time-travelling Jesus and outlandish musical numbers - Dana finds that pretty much everyone is offended by his production and quickly loses school backing for his production. But the show must go on and so Dana and his students begin their fight of free speech! It's inspiring really.
Amidst the political hubbub Dana watches as wife Brie (Catherine Keener) runs off with the ever-present and always-silent Gary (David Arquette - made bearable by his near-total lack of dialogue).
Normally, I'm hard pressed to decry anything by Steve Coogan. His vignette in Coffee & Cigarettes remains my favorite and his short-lived role in Tropic Thunder (and the longer role in its supplementary Rains of Madness) gave people a perfect taste of what every Coogan fan has come to love - an actor who excels in over the top absurdity. Steve Coogan unleashes his humorous thespian enthusiasm to make Dana Marschz the drama teacher that fits every stereotype. Incapable of directing though steadfast in his intent to do so. Incapable of writing though insistent in the quality of his play. Incompetent in spite of being smarter than the people he's working with (mere students of the theater). The best thing to come out of this was the dialogue featured in the trailer: "Didn't everybody die at the end of Hamlet?", Dana's response: "I have a device for that." A perfect lampoon of every hopeless screenwriter that's ever lived.
Perhaps the best part about Hamlet2: no one escapes unscathed. Hamlet2 feels unfettered by the politically correct restraints of common sense and lets loose a loud whoop of obscenity at its own leisure. Christians, homosexuals, atheists - no one makes it out with dignity intact.
The problem, which ultimately condemned it, lies in the sparseness of its true comedic elements. It almost seems as if the film reels in the laugh out loud comedy of the first hour so as to make the raucously hilarious ending musical numbers all the more memorable. Obviously this causes an unfortunate lull in entertainment up until the last 15 minutes. Are the musical numbers sufficiently redemptive to make this "hold off on the funny" strategy worthwhile? Not really. It leaves me thinking the movie could have been condensed to a 30 minute version with an equal number of laughs.
Catherine Keener provides the only semblance of realistic grounding present in Hamlet2 - but considering it's aiming for true absurdity in every way, you could almost argue her role is too much. Either way you argue that point, she performs perfectly as the last semblance of sanity that ups and leaves Dana for a more sensible man. Certainly we see the joke of Brie and Gary coming from far-off, but even so the last confrontation between Brie and Dana is comedic enough in payoff that we don't truly mind.
Hamlet2 could easily have done better. The comedic elements existed but received poor timing and execution. Easy to fix - but now, alas, too late. Worth a look if you really need a funny movie to help you wile away an hour and a half.
"Hamlet2" opens August 27, 2008 and is rated R. Comedy. Directed by Andrew Fleming. Written by Andrew Fleming, Pam Brady. Starring Amy Poehler, Catherine Keener, David Arquette, Elisabeth Shue, Skylar Astin, Steve Coogan.
