“Oh!! my life is a parody of a tragedy!” wails Marshzt, a down and out drama teacher in godforsaken Tucson, Arizona (described in this movie as the place where ‘dreams go to die.’) His life is full of pain. His father abused him, his acting career has gone nowhere, he’s a recovering alcoholic, he can’t get his wife pregnant, he doesn’t own a car. He doesn’t even own a bike, he uses roller skates, and not rollerblades mind you, roller skates. And he doesn’t even use them well. He skates down the street uncoordinated, heckled by the incredibly anti-pedestrian streets of Tucson. His job is worse than his life. He works as a drama teacher in a school that has just cut drama because of its budget. This is insult to injury since it appears that the theater budget was nothing to begin with. They use the cafeteria for a classroom and after they are thrown out of there they have to use the gym during Volleyball practice. The principal breaks the news to Marshzt in front of a wall long trophy case, thereby making clear the point. They certainly have enough money for sports programs to have winning teams every year. They simply don’t give a shit about theatre, or Marshzt for that matter. Even the school critic, a fifth grader completely bags on every play Marshzt puts out. To his credit the plays are pretty bad and the critic is actually quite wise. He gives Marshzt the idea to put on an original play that would be so great it would save theater and perhaps Marshzt failing life.
Marshzt’s idea for the play is a sequel to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, aptly named Hamlet 2. His wife takes one look at the script and says “A sequel to Hamlet, doesn’t everybody die at the end of the first one?” True everyone does, which is probably why Shakespeare didn’t write a sequel. The idea is very appropriate though. Marshzt wants to do the impossible: write a happy ending onto the Hamlet story. If he can do this then maybe he wring out a happy ending to another tragic tale: the story of his life. Both are equally impossible and as Act III is aptly titled: Hope is a Demon Bitch.
On top of all this, the writer/director of this movie, Andrew Fleming (I’ve never heard of him), wants to make it funny. My God this movie will need some sort of a miracle. And they get it in the form of Jesus’s time machine and British comedian Steven Coogan. The ridiculous thing about this movie is that it tried and succeeded to make the subject plausible, even going so far as to make the fake play actually very good. Someone out there needs to get the bright idea to adapt the three to four scenes we see of the play into a full-length musical. The numbers “Raped in the Face,” and “Rock Me Sexy Jesus,” are very fun and that part where Hamlet saves everybody from dying and forgives his father. That was actually quite touching.
But the one thing that holds this movie together and keeps the over the top ideas from going completely overboard is the tour de force performance of Steven Coogan. His feverish, hilarious portrayal of a man whose life is crumbling before his very eyes is incredible. The desperation is palpable in his word and deeds. He wants to be an inspirational teacher a la Mr. Holland’s Opus or Dead Poets Society, but the limitations of his own personality and the crushing atmosphere of Tucson perform daily hosings of his psyche. At scenes you can see his sanity crumbling in his eyes. (Now is the time to Just Give Up!) He also manages to say something incredibly funny every other sentence. (Oh Gravel! The Bane of my Existence!) How this is done takes not only great dramatic talent but also great comedic talent. Mr. Marshzt may be a terrible actor but Steven Coogan is a fantastic one. This turn is Oscar Nomination worthy. It is the best performance I have seen so far this year. (My God, I have said that for three movies in a row. But I swear I meant it each time. I wonder how many more times I will say it this year.) Of course the academy will probably forget him and nominate some other really depressing dramatic actor who plays a really depressing paraplegic or some shit. This is like the one arena that the MTV movie awards actually gets it right. Oh well, a toast to Steve Coogan, before this summer I had never really noticed you. I wonder if you will ever get such a great role again. I sure hope so.
Extra notes: I think this movie would constitute half of a great double feature will Littlle Miss Sunshine, another movie about lovable losers who find their home in the godforsaken deserts of Arizona and New Mexico. pss. And keep in mind that this movie has one annoying character. It’s a stupid racist white girl. Did not laugh once at her. I also really wanted to hear what the ten-year-old critic would say about Hamlet 2, but apparently he couldn’t get into the R rated play since we never hear his opinion.
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