Review of Hamlet 2 (2008) by James H — 15 Feb 2009

So I had been duly warned about the controversial content of this film, and though I'm usually not easily offended, this movie was a bit much for me. I thought Coogan was generally pretty good in his role and there were funny parts sprinkled throughout, even a few quotable lines.

But the play at the end was distasteful enough that I think it spoiled an otherwise ok (though not great) comedy. The Jesus gag was overdone and went too far for my tastes, and I don't like the trend of mixing kids with sexual humor for laughs.

As for the storyline, it wasn't that original (just watch Arrested Development) and we've already seen much better films that revolve around loser teachers winning over their unruly students in order to accomplish something that brings them together (School of Rock being a great example).

So even if the offensive stuff doesn't bother you, I didn't find the story or the comedy good enough to recommend this film.