That was an excellent one.

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

The acting in this movie is really good.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

This is not a review of the overall movie but instead a review of one (significant) part: Elisabeth Shue. Although she's just a secondary character in the film, I found myself riveted to her performance and laughing riotously at everything she did. She's now officially my favourite actress, and if you see this film there's a good chance she may become yours too.This is more than just random praise for one of the performers. Actually her character is very relevant to the story. HAMLET 2 is about a washed-up, mediocre actor (played by Coogan) who believes enthusiasm is more important than talent. With a ridiculously optimistic attitude despite a life of failure, he embarks on putting together the most ambitious play ever made: a sequel to Hamlet. The movie is full of madcap situations, and often it borders on utterly absurd. But this is where Shue's character comes in. Playing herself as a fellow "washed-up, mediocre actor" (which is hilarious considering how successful she is in real life), she plays the role with deadpan sobriety. She becomes the "straight man" which is the glue that holds this story together. Shue is the reference point without which the film would spiral into a silly romp.Movies where actors play themselves with hilarious results:BEING JOHN MALKOVICH with John MalkovichCOFFEE & CIGARETTES with Steve Coogan, Cate Blanchett, etcKING OF COMEDY with Jerry Lewis (aka Jerry "Langford")HAMLET 2 with Elisabeth ShueSee them all. You won't be disappointed!

First of all, I do think this is a funny idea, and I liked the parody of the "Teacher of the ghetto thugs" being parodied, and I certainly enjoy making fun of no-talent people who think they can put something great on, and it turns out to be unintentionally funny. So yes, this film is worth seeing.Regarding the "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" number. Okay, it is well done and potentially funny. Speaking as a practicing Unorthodox Catholic, I would like to offer something to the community of film makers: I know many of you enjoy being "cutting edge" by mocking Jesus Christ and those who worship Him (myself, for example). So in the spirit of giving and promoting that "cutting edge" vitality that you all want to provide: should any of you decide to make "Hamlet 3" "King Lear Returns" "Revenge of Macbeth" "Son Of Othello" or "Romeo & Juliet--Together Again" then I would like to provide you with some more cutting edge musical numbers.How about "Rock Me Sexy Mohammed" (See how well THAT goes over & show us how "edgy, hip and unafraid of controversy" you all truly are)! Or what about "Rock Me L. Ron Hubbard You Fabulous Fraud" (See if Hollywood is as open-minded about THAT one and how many stars will want to work with you in the future)! Maybe "Rock Me Horny Dr. Martin Luther King" ("He kicks racist ass and fights for your civil rights to plagiarize and cheat on your wives")! What about "Rock Me OBAMA" ("He'll close Gitmo but he won't...he'll end the wars but he don't...the Bush policies he'll rearrange but we simply call that 'Hope and Change'")! Do you like my ideas?:--) Yeah, that's what I thought. Why is it you people who talk about being "open-minded and progressive" don't feel the same way when YOUR values are being mocked? Is it because even the so-called "progressives" can be hypocrites too?

I did like Elizabeth Shue playing herself. I admired the concept of writing a sequel to the William Shakespeare play. One or two lines are funny in the hour and a half film. There. I started with the positive. The rest of 'Hamlet 2' is pure crap and absolutely painful to watch. Offensive? I think that was the main objective and due to that, it wasn't at all bothersome to watch the mockery of Jesus. I've seen worse. But, the true core of the movie was offensive. The irony was the endless parodies of other, much more entertaining films, such as 'Dangerous Minds' or 'Dead Poets Society,' when at the end of this film, 'Hamlet 2' simply became a poor remake of those films. Watch the extremely untalented Steve Coogan (ha ha, I get it, Coogan's character, Dana, also is untalented. So, I guess, like Shue, he's playing himself) fall down, run around or flash his naked body or slam a door on his hand, followed by the extremely unfunny/unoriginal "flipping people off" due to his strained middle finger. The basics of the film involve a lost teacher who "inspires" stereotypical students (of other films) into a finally-original play while his funding and life falls apart. I understand indie films, admire when "artists" take their low budget ideas and turn them into movies. So, I actually gave this movie a second viewing, thinking perhaps I missed something, or failed to laugh when prompted. Nope, I actually liked it less the second time. And even more irony: the production put on (a la 'Hamlet 2') in the closing is like a really fifth-rate, $5 school play. So is the movie.

There's so much to recommend in this movie, the script is sharp, the jokes are solid, the direction is well paced but most importantly Steve Coogan is finally showing signs of becoming a real comedic character actor as oppose to his own varied persona.The movie is about a failed actor, Dana Marshz, who is in love with the craft of acting, in the classical sense of the method actor. Failing as an actor he turns to teaching, and is equally as bad at this. All the whilst his wife is sleeping with the lodger and he is roller blading to work to save money. Dana is then forced to teach a group of Latinos who have chosen to study drama because their favourite subjects have all been cancelled. Failing to inspire them with his knowledge of acting, he inadvertently gets their attention when drama is cancelled and he decides to take matters into his own hands by saving drama with a production of Hamlet 2 the sequel.This movie could have been an absolute bomb, but what it manages to do is ridicule every genre that we expect it to be. For example we see the ridiculing of the cross cultural genre in the Latinos meets white middle America, we see the teacher take on the school and parents against the odds, we see the teacher inspire the student genre. Everything from Dangerous Minds to Dead Poet's society is turned squarely on it's head and the result is pure hilarity.Steve Coogan does a great job as the superficial do gooder who could never get a break, I've been a fan of Coogan since his Alan Partridge days and always thought he was a true comic. Though his move to the U.S has been hit and miss with movies such 80 days around the world and Alibi not really flexing his true capabilities. It seems that in Hamlet 2 he has found that perfect balance between facial contortion humour and perfectly delivered lines. This is a career high for Coogan and I hope this is the way forward for him as he begins to fill his full potential as a comedian for our time.