movie thoughts: Hamlet 2
I remember seeing the trailer for 'Hamlet 2' and thinking "yeah, no thanks". But when the reviews started to trickle in with the "yes it's stupid but it's also hilarious" vibe to them, I decided I would check it out.
'Hamlet 2' is about a loser. He wanted to be an actor of great theater, but instead he ended up making herpes medication commercials, and has now settled on teaching drama at a public high school in Tuscon, AZ. His initial excitement over his class size increasing at the start of the new semester (due to the fact that the trailer classrooms were full of asbestos) is crushed when he is told by the principal that drama will be cancelled next year. In an attempt to save the arts program, he writes a play, the story of his life, as told through Hamlet's eyes!...if Hamlet had access to a time machine and got his advice from Jesus Christ.(!!!!!!!!!)
'Hamlet 2' is like 'Tropic Thunder' - you're either going to love it or hate it. It's just so weird. There's jokes in there for anyone who has ever seen an 'inspirational teacher' movie. There's bits that made me laugh because they reminded me of people I knew in high school. And some of it is just so wrong it's right ("Rock Me Sexy Jesus" will be stuck in your head ALL DAY).
The movie requires minimal knowledge of Hamlet, though you should be up on your pop culture for the last 20 years (especially the works of Elisabeth Shue, who steals the movie as...herself!). When the writers' credits consist of people that worked for South Park and Team America, you know that the humor will be low, but clever. A good one to watch when you need to laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of everything. Pour yourself a margarita (the size of the one on the cover) and sit back, you wouldn't want to pull anything while laughing.