Hamlet 2: High School Musical Goes to Hell
A while back, I got an invite to a screening of the upcoming movie "Hamlet 2." The screening was in New York, and I wasn't going to be in the city at that time, so I didn't pay much attention to it.
Then earlier today I was watching something on IFC and there was a trailer for "Hamlet 2." It was one of those "red-band" coming attractions, the ones meant for restricted audiences, so there were like swear words and stuff. The trailer certainly made me laugh, and more than once, so this might be a movie to look out for. Or it could also be one of those self-consciously wacky movies that thinks it's so funny that it winds up being not funny at all.
IMDB describes "Hamlet 2" as the story of a failed actor, turned worse high school drama teacher, who, faced with the cancellation of the school's drama program, rallies his students to the cause as he conceives and stages a politically incorrect musical sequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet.
As Catherine Keener says in the trailer, "Doesn't everybody die at the end of the first one?"
The movie also features David Arquette, Amy Poehler, Broadway's Skylar Astin (Spring Awakening), and Elizabeth Shue in one of those increasingly frequent Hollywood cameos in which movie stars play themselves, often to faux self-effacing effect. (Think Neil Patrick Harris in Harold and Kumar, or David Hasselhoff in "The Spongebob Squarepants Movie.") The director is one Andrew Fleming ("Dick") who co-wrote the screenplay with Pam Brady ("South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut," "Team America: World Police")
As I said, this could be a welcome antidote to "High School Musical" mania, or it just might suck major league moose wang. We'll find out when the movie opens on August 27th.
There's a tiny review or preview in Vanity Fair - they seemed to like it. I'm curious, myself. I admit that I've seen the High School Musicals with my nephew and niece - they love it (!) but they are only 9 and 4.
Posted by: SarahB | July 22, 2008 at 08:48 PM
This film was eaten up at Sundance and the premise is right up my alley. (And I believe Phoebe Strole from SPRING AWAKENING is also in it...)
Posted by: Alicia Dempster | July 22, 2008 at 10:33 PM
Yeah, the trailer looked really good, so I'm thinking this one's gonna be a keeper. But I think my journalism training prompts me to always hedge my bets, always leave room for possible suck-ish-ness.
If only my journalism training provided me with a real big-boy word for suck-ish-ness..
Posted by: chris caggiano | July 22, 2008 at 11:09 PM
Dude, *Steve Coogan* is in it! It's *got* to be good!
Posted by: Scot Colford | July 23, 2008 at 11:03 AM
OMG, it's Alan Partridge! You know, I thought he looked familiar, but I didn't place him at first.
Yeah, that guy's a scream.
Posted by: chris caggiano | July 23, 2008 at 11:39 AM