Hamlet 2 2008

Ben Mankiewicz, At the Movies: The funniest Shakespearean sequel since Richard IV. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: Sure, Steve Coogan has his hilarious moments as a delusional drama coach struggling to save the arts program at a Tucson, Ariz., high school, but that's all there is in the movie: moments. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Steve Coogan is the whole show in Hamlet 2, and while director and co-writer Andrew Fleming is strictly rudimentary in terms of technique and style, his British star pockets every available laugh plus a few unavailable ones. Read more

David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture: Coogan's mopiness is oddly riveting. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: [Coogan's] screen persona is vain, dim, angry, and deeply miserable, and his handful of scenes here with a smilingly harsh Catherine Keener are little masterpieces of comic sadomasochism. Read more

Joanne Kaufman, Wall Street Journal: Not since Death of a Salesman has failure been quite so entertaining. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: Hamlet 2 is a likable movie even as it careens around like a wagging tail, but it's just too uneven. Read more

Nathan Rabin, AV Club: Funny excuses an awful lot, and at its best, Hamlet 2 is nothing short of hilarious. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: For a film like Hamlet 2 to work -- even the title is hilariously ridiculous -- it has to sell the absurdity completely. It does. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: When the father of one of the stars says, 'I'm simultaneously horrified and fascinated,' you'll know just what he means. Read more

Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle: The more self-righteous it gets -- the more pious it is about offending people -- the less it works as a theatrical parody. Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: Why so vulgar? Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: Boy, is it stupid. Boy, is it funny. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: A high school musical that would make John Waters proud. Read more

Amy Nicholson, I.E. Weekly: Oddly, what's supposed to be a great comedy about a bad play is in fact a bad comedy about a play that looks pretty frigging amazing Read more

Miami Herald: The real tragedy here is that someone might actually pay to see this dull mess of a movie. Read more

Rafer Guzman, Newsday: Hamlet 2 is a tour-de-force from Coogan (the director in Tropic Thunder), who's never been more wonderfully, wildly unhinged. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: It has some hilariously humiliating jokes (Coogan really has no fear) and some surprisingly pointed real-life humor (Elisabeth Shue, you are a genuine sport). Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Fortunately, Coogan remains impressively unafraid of humiliation, pushing every joke just far enough to keep us watching. But he deserves more. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: Dead Poets Society, Dangerous Minds, Mr. Holland's Opus, all 'great' movies about 'great' teachers inspiring their students to achieve great things -- all movies referenced lovingly by Steve Coogan's 'inspiring' teacher in Hamlet 2. Read more

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: In Andrew Fleming's Hamlet 2, the laughs are wan and intermittent. There's something rotten in the state of Arizona. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Despite the richness of the premise for comic invention, however, Hamlet 2 remains a rather mediocre experience, offering sporadic laughs but never achieving the level of consistent humor necessary to make this memorable. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The movie is an ideal showcase for the talents of Coogan. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com: No matter how many jokes you pack around it, arrested development doesn't make for a very compelling dramatic arc. Read more

Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle: It has an edge and degree of sophistication not seen in most summer comedies. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Fleming saves most of his energy for the blowout final production numbers, which play like demented outtakes from High School Musical. Read more

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: Let's just say that, when the parody looks indistinguishable from the parodied, something's gone awry. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: If promotional hype of Falstaffian proportions has you convinced that Hamlet 2 is a Shakespearean romp or a musical involving a rocking sexy deity, some elucidation is in order. Read more

Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine: There's nothing remarkable, or witty, or particularly engaging about Hamlet 2. Read more

Hank Sartin, Time Out: Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: Its sharply funny moments make its lack of consistency all the more evident. The movie ends up feeling like a collection of moments, rather than a coherent quirky comedy. Read more

Dennis Harvey, Variety: 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. Read more

J. Hoberman, Village Voice: Coogan will do anything for a laugh, and given how little he has to work with, he must. Read more

Philip Kennicott, Washington Post: [A] dazzling little comedy. Read more