Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.

While there are few bust-out-laughing moments in this Steve Coogan vehicle, I still spent 75 percent of HAMLET 2 giggling my buns off. The film proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Coogan will do anything for a laugh, usually with solid, if sometimes childish, results. In addition to Coogan's antics, I think the real weapons in HAMLET 2's arsenal are director/co-writer Andrew Fleming (THE CRAFT; DICK) and co-writer Pam Brady (a writing partner with Trey Parker on the SOUTH PARK movie and TEAM AMERICA), who have created such a consummate loser in Tucson-based high school drama teacher Dana Marschz that you can't help but relish in his every pain and still root for the guy.

Coogan has had a hit-and-miss career in Hollywood after soaring as a staple on British television and Michael Winterbottom's 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE. Films such as AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS and NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM didn't really play to Coogan's all-or-nothing strengths. But when you see him in the screamingly funny segment of Jim Jarmusch's COFFEE AND CIGARETTES (opposite Alfred Molina) or Sofia Coppola's MARIE ANTOINETTE or most recently as the film director in TROPIC THUNDER, you get a clearer sense of what he's capable of. HAMLET 2 puts Coogan firmly in the starring role, and he rises to the occasion in this imperfect but still highly watchable film that goes from good to great thanks to a series of closing-act musical numbers that bring the house down.

Coogan's Marschz is a terrible actor (his finest hour was apparently a herpes medication commercial). His job as a drama teacher to an ever-shrinking class is in jeopardy because each year's main production is a terrible adaptation of a popular movie (ERIN BROCKOVICH is the current year's selection). When the ninth-grade drama critic recommends Marschz come up with some original material, the idea intrigues him, especially after the school threatens to pull the plug on the program altogether. Marschz is the hopeless optimist who doesn't see how much his wife (Catherine Keener) despises him or just how desperate his situation truly is. When a group of "troubled teens" are forced into the class, Marschz sees it as a personal challenge to get them interested in theater, and he concocts a sequel to Hamlet, despite the fact that most of the characters in play die by the end. Using time-honored devices such as time travel and the introduction of Jesus as a character in the story, Marschz's wacko original musical begins to gain the acceptance of his entire class, who decide to put on the play independently after the drama program is killed by the school board.

Director Fleming wisely loads his supporting cast with fresh faces and true talent. I especially liked Melonie Diaz as Ivonne, who ends up with a key role in the play. Amy Poehler drops in as an ACLU attorney who threatens anyone who dares to try and shut down the play. Skylar Astin and Phoebe Strole are the class veterans, who are both just a little scared when they instantly become minorities in the now mostly Hispanic class. But the greatest role has to go to Elizabeth Shue playing a local nurse in the town, who just happens to actually be Elizabeth Shue, who has decided to forsake the Hollywood lifestyle for a simpler way of life. The fact that she would even be in a movie in which she gives an inspirational talk about acting, followed by a student asking her "Who are you?" says something about her willingness to do what it takes to get the laugh. Her reaction shots while watching the final musical are priceless.

As I said, the musical numbers will sell pretty much anyone on this movie. The songs are catchy, hilarious and borderline offensive. The production values are low, as they should be, but they still convey a sense of creativity that seems believable. And then there's Coogan as a sexually appealing Jesus H. Christ, complete with tight jeans and a wife-beater undershirt. His long locks personify everything I remember despising about high school drama, and his wuss-like violent rages are absolutely spell binding. Even Coogan's American accent absolutely nails a kind of projectile naiveté that some people have. He captures classic dufus without going overboard; a rare feat. What doesn't work as well is the focus on Marschz's home life. As much as I love Keener, those scenes just aren't as funny as the stuff with the class. In the end, she comes off looking like a world-class bitch. I'm also somewhat baffled by the almost wordless appearance of David Arquette, who plays a near-silent boarder in the Marschz home. It's almost funny that he's in the movie with no dialogue—emphasis on the "almost."

But these flaws don't take up too much time in what is otherwise a film guaranteed to set your pants a giggling. It relishes in some of life's most uncomfortable moments, and makes us laugh heartily at the misfortunes of others. I can't think of a better way to spend a summer afternoon or evening. No, it's not as good as TROPIC THUNDER, and I wouldn't try to convince you that it is. HAMLET 2's goals aren't as lofty as that masterpiece. But it is a movie that wants so very much to make you laugh and succeeds repeatedly.

-- Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com