Review of Hamlet 2 (2008) by Stuart G — 14 Nov 2011
I really liked the premise, when I saw the trailer, and I really, really wanted to like this film. But after viewing it twice, I had to say that it was uneven at best. Steve Coogan's character is pathetic to the point where I don't even feel sorry for him anymore, and his saddling the kids he teaches with his own personal problems made me like him even less.
His wife is a bitch without any motivation or depth beyond the fact that she is a bitch. Arquette could have sleep-walked through his role without any discernable difference in his impact to this film (which is more a statement on his character and not his acting chops).
The students' motivations are even less clear. Here are these kids who were stuck in drama class because they had nowhere else to be. They didn't care, and they didn't want to be there. Then, suddenly in the third act, after we haven't seen them for a while because we're too busy watching Coogan's character unravel, suddenly, they are passionate about this third-rate musical they're putting on.
Why? Where is their turning point? It wasn't anything the teacher did. He spent most of the film moping and feeling sorry for himself. And where do they raise the money for the lighting rig and the scenery? That is not a cheap set-up.
There are so many problems with this script, I don't know where to end!
This review of Hamlet 2 (2008) was written by Stuart G on 14 Nov 2011.
Hamlet 2 has generally received mixed reviews.
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