Hamlet 2 The Second

I didn't particularly like Hamlet 2 when it came out. Watching it on TV, I've warmed to it a bit. It's still not good enough, but there are parts that aren't bad.

The movie created a stir at Sundance in 2008. Though it sold at a high price, it's still a weird little film that was never going to catch on big.

The plot has a high school drama teacher in Tucson putting on a controversial, self-written sequel to Hamlet. The gags are hit and miss, mostly miss, but the thing that holds it together is Steve Coogan's lead performance. His character Dana Marschz (no one can pronounce the name) is amazingly foolish and given to great self-doubt, but is also irrepressibly optimistic. Even when the material is weak, Coogan's sweet loopiness keeps the film moving forward.