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Movies / On DVD / Hamlet 2
Hamlet 2

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Hamlet 2 (2008)

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Reviews Counted:132

Fresh:83

Rotten:49

Average Rating:6.2/10

Consensus: The script's biting premise and Steve Coogan's endearing, off-the-handle performance make Hamlet 2 an hysterical -- if slightly painful -- ride.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language including sexual references, brief nudity and some drug content.

Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Aug 27, 2008 Wide

Box Office: $4,784,111

Synopsis: “The hit, the very palpable hit” of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, this irreverent comedy centers on one teacher’s overzealous quest to mount a high school musical. Steve Coogan (“Night at the... “The hit, the very palpable hit” of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, this irreverent comedy centers on one teacher’s overzealous quest to mount a high school musical. Steve Coogan (“Night at the Museum”) portrays Dana Marschz; the last name is pronounced…oh, any attempt is close enough, really. Dana is a failed actor-turned-high-school drama teacher. Shortchanged in the talent department, Dana still harbors ambitions and passions. At work, that is; his personal life, with his dissatisfied wife Brie (Catherine Keener of “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”) and their boarder Gary (David Arquette of the “Scream” movies), leaves much to be desired. At Tucson, AZ’s West Mesa High School, Dana sees himself as an inspirational teacher. But his adaptations of popular films, as performed by his top students Rand and Epiphany (Skylar Astin and Phoebe Strole, both stars of Broadway’s “Spring Awakening”), are not resonating. When his latest – re-creating “Erin Brockovich” – is dismissed by the 9th grade drama critic and his department is targeted for closure, Dana must reach deep into himself for creativity. After much perspiration, he conceives a sequel to Shakespeare’s Hamlet – a musical-theater extravaganza that will disdain both political correctness and dramatic credibility. Rallying and rousing his class, Dana casts a wider net by recruiting transfer students like Ivonne (Melonie Diaz of “Be Kind Rewind”) for key roles. With rehearsals underway, objections from school officials and the community are soon raised, but Dana will not be denied his freedom of artistic expression. After all, “to thine own self be true.” Dana gets unexpected support from ACLU attorney Cricket Feldstein (Amy Poehler of “Saturday Night Live”) and his favorite actress, Elisabeth Shue (Academy Award nominee Elisabeth Shue as herself). Above all else, he fervently believes that his opus must be staged, and nothing can break his optimistic spirit. [More]

Starring: Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener, David Arquette, Amy Poehler

Starring: Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener, David Arquette, Amy Poehler, Elisabeth Shue, Melonie Diaz

Director: Andrew Fleming

Director: Andrew Fleming
Screenwriter: Andrew Fleming, Pam Brady
Producer: Eric Eisner, Aaron Ryder, Leonid Rozhetskin
Composer: Ralph Sall
Studio: Focus Features

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Dec 23, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Keep Case
  • Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
  • Full Frame - 1.33

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - French
  • Subtitles - English (SDH), French, Spanish

Additional Release Material:

  • Deleted Scenes

Audio Commentary:

  • 1. Director/Co-Writer Andrew Fleming
  • 2. Co-Writer Pam Brady

Featurette:

  • 1. Making Number 2
  • 2. Oscar Winner vs. High School Drama Class
  • 3. Sing Along with Hamlet 2
 
 
 
 

Reviews for Hamlet 2

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
01/14/10
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
09/08/09
Pete Hammond
Pete Hammond
Hollywood.com

I haven't laughed so hard in years. Coogan is pure brilliance...

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
05/08/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

Moments of demented inspiration as the ridiculously catchy ditty 'Rock Me Sexy Jesus' are few and far between.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
02/12/09
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

That sound you hear is Shakespeare spinning in his grave after watching Hamlet 2 from the Great Beyond.

Full Review Source: What Would Toto Watch? | comment Comment
12/23/08
Christian Toto
Christian Toto
What Would Toto Watch?

Buoyed by Steve Coogan's unapologetically go-for-broke performance...

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
11/25/08
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

Coogan is a master at playing jerks, but Dana is too silly, too stupid, and too unappealing to enlist us on his side.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment Comment
11/12/08
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

i pio anatreptiki komodia poy ehei ksepidisei ap' to aneksartito kykloma ta teleytaia hronia

Full Review Source: Movies for the Masses | comment Comment
11/08/08
Joseph Proimakis
Joseph Proimakis
Movies for the Masses

For anyone who ever took drama in High School, Coogan's character will surely ignite memories of quirky, even downright crazy teachers you may have encountered over the years.

Full Review Source: At the Movies | comment Comment
11/07/08
Ben Lyons
Ben Lyons
At the Movies
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The funniest Shakespearean sequel since Richard IV.

Full Review Source: At the Movies | comment Comment
11/07/08
Ben Mankiewicz
Ben Mankiewicz
At the Movies
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Oddly, what's supposed to be a great comedy about a bad play is in fact a bad comedy about a play that looks pretty frigging amazing

Full Review Source: I.E. Weekly | comment Comment
09/12/08
Amy Nicholson
Amy Nicholson
I.E. Weekly

The play's the thing in Hamlet 2.

Full Review Source: Illinois Times | comment Comment
09/09/08
Charles Koplinski
Charles Koplinski
Illinois Times

While they may be trying to "save drama," (the $6,000 a year Tucson High School luxury) they are also lovingly destroying it.

Full Review Source: Cinerina | comment Comment
09/08/08
Karina Montgomery
Karina Montgomery
Cinerina

Brady and Fleming, who co-wrote the script, build to a feverish finale, 15 minutes of pure transgressive laughter when Hamlet 2 is finally performed.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
09/05/08
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

I laughed enough while I watched it, but as I write this review, I realize how shabby it really is. And Marschz is annoying.

Full Review Source: The Cinema Source | comment Comment
09/05/08
Michael Dance
Michael Dance
The Cinema Source

Silly, inconsequential fun with enough laughs to make it worth a trip to the megaplex.

Full Review Source: Windy City Times | comment Comment
09/04/08
Richard Knight
Richard Knight
Windy City Times

The lowbrow humor in Hamlet 2 works consistently well, but much more intelligent jokes are launched from the wry lips of Catherine Keener.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
09/03/08
Marcy Dermansky
Marcy Dermansky
About.com

a wildly uneven satire--not nearly as controversial or as funny as you might have expected.

Full Review Source: Sean the Movie Guy | comment Comment
09/03/08
Sean McBride
Sean McBride
Sean the Movie Guy

Hamlet 2 has a lot on its mind, not all of it good. You can tell everyone involved here knows what they're doing... it's just that they have too many balls in the air and can't effectively juggle them at once.

Full Review Source: The Trend | comment Comment
09/03/08
Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver
The Trend

There's something admirable about a comedy that celebrates the provocative nature of art, even if that comedy doesn't quite provoke as much as it could have.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
09/01/08
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat
 
 
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Latest News for Hamlet 2

January 23, 2009: Can a frustrated actor pen a Hamlet sequel reviving dead characters via a time machine with Jesus, Einstein and Hillary Clinton? If this daring, irreverent social satire has its say, those lunatic possibilities may prove just that on screen. Opens in new window
More...

January 03, 2009: Can a frustrated actor pen a Hamlet sequel reviving dead characters via a time machine with Jesus, Einstein and Hillary Clinton? If this daring, irreverent social satire has its say, those lunatic possibilities may prove just that on screen. Opens in new window
More...

January 03, 2009: ActorsAndCrew.com: Can a frustrated actor pen a Hamlet sequel reviving dead characters via a time machine with Jesus, Einstein and Hillary Clinton? If this daring, irreverent social satire has its say, those lunatic possibilities may prove just that. Opens in new window
More...

September 01, 2008: Box Office Guru Wrapup: Tropic Thunder Triumphantly closes Summer
Labor day weekend saw a host of new films; few of them showing any signs of box office msucle. More...

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