Hamlet 2

Intro/Cast:

The problem I had with Hamlet 2 is that they took some really funny ideas and made them mediocre at best and I feel this movie could have been a lot better. This film stars Steve Coogan, Elisabeth Shue, Catherine Keener, David Arquette (who i think had one line!) and a bunch of unknowns played the high school students and I think they did a great job and wont be unknowns for long!

Plot:

Coogan 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 (Keener) and their boarder Gary (Arquette), 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), 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) 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) and his favorite actress, Elisabeth Shue. Above all else, he fervently believes that his opus must be staged, and nothing can break his optimistic spirit.

Wrap Up:

In a way Hamlet 2 was disappointing to me because it wasnt that funny. The acting was the best part of the film. Amy Poehler is pretty funny playing the lawyer defending the play Coogan's charachter is trying to put on. I think the writers of this movie failed to make this a really funny movie. For that i cannot reccommend this movie. Overall Hamlet 2 gets 2 stars out of 5 and on a grade that would be a C. I say SKIP IT!!