Hamlet 2
News

Unless Tropic Thunder and Pineapple Express have exhausted movie goers of all their laughter, Hamlet 2 ought to be a modest hit.

The film stars Steve Coogan and, according to reports, Elizabeth Shue in a hilarious cameo. Here's how various film critics have reacted to the comedy...

- Hamlet 2 belongs firmly to Steve Coogan, which is fortunate since none of the film's supporting players prove to be the least bit memorable... -- Slant Magazine

- Hamlet 2 is never boring, and it certainly contains some of the heartiest laughs you'll have at the movies this summer, but it lacks a sense of engagement that would have made it so much better... -- MSNBC

- Hit-and-miss in terms of verbal wit and individual gags. But package moves along quickly, and overall concept remains amusing even when there’s a dud moment or three... -- Variety

- You might leave the theatre wondering whose minds were more twisted and demented, those who wrote this movie, or your own? -- ComingSoon.net

While Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder have appeared to rule the comedic universe this summer, a possibe sleeper hit opens on August 22.

Steve Coogan leads the cast of Hamlet 2, whose title itself is hilarious. Sorry to spoil this for all non-Shakespeare fans, but all the characters die at the end of the original Hamlet.

Here's a look at images from the movie, while we'll update our section of Hamlet 2 quotes when more hit the Web. Click on each picture for a larger version...

The premise for Hamlet 2 is one only writers that penned politically-incorrect films such as Dick and Team America: World Police could come up with.

Enter Andrew Fleming and Pam Brady.

They came up with the idea of Dana Marschz, a beleaguered high school drama teacher whose drama class is about to get shut down unless he can come up with a stage production that justifies its existence. The solution? A sequel to Hamlet, of course.

Below are excerpts of an interview Flemning and Brady gave to ComingSoon.net:

When you decided to make the movie, which came first, the idea of a Hamlet 2 or the character of Dana Marshz?
Fleming: The character. We kind of reverse-engineered the movie from the character. I don't know why. We were just talking and we knew we wanted a teacher, and we loved drama teacher right away, and we both loved that kind of super-enthusiastic character who wakes up and every day is a creative opportunity even in the face of no positive feedback.
Brady: It's true. He has no reason to keep going, but then he lives by a code... I always think those characters are great, it's almost like "A Confederacy of Dunces" kind of delusional character that just can't be stopped.

Steve Coogan stars in Hamlet 2.

Hamlet 2 looks pretty funny.

It's a Steve Coogen comedy that focuses on one teacher's overzealous quest to mount a high school musical based on a certain former work by Shakespeare.

Check out the movie's trailer below: