Hamlet 2

Seen for the first time in June 2013.

"Hamlet 2" is a likable and lightly entertaining movie. It's funny. The production at the end makes me squirm with embarrassment a little bit. Enough that I couldn't recommend that another person watch it. I don't know why, but I feel like admitting that makes me susceptible to accusations of homophobia. It is pretty funny for most of the movie however. And if you like glee and are really into theater and "funny," "modern," "cute," and  "safely offensive" musical numbers then you might really dig this film.

To unpack that last line a little bit, particularly the "safely offensive" part. I just feel like a musical number like "the rock me sexy Jesus" from this film is supposed to appear somehow transgressive in like this really self conscious but also silly and playfully cute way, but it's really just kind of smug to me. I guess the briefest way to describe it would be to say it has a playfully transgressive sensibility that doesn't at all read as transgressive anymore, but as gay. It's fine. It's just not at all my sensibility. It makes me cringe a little bit to be honest. Like it would be embarrassing if anyone thought I thought that number was funny or good in any way.

I guess there's an analog to John Waters at his worst. Like when John Waters is at his best, he's transgressive and fun and it's exhilarating. But sometimes he just gestures weakly at transgression while a very gay, very self-aware sense of humor fills the vaccuum, and this is John Waters at his worst (see "A Dirty Shame"). This movie at it's worst is like John Waters at his most mainstream worst.

At it's best, it's a really funny, under-the-radar, out-of-nowhere comedy marred only by the occasionally corny or contrived set-piece. I think we mostly enjoy watching Coogan's character's struggles. It's occasionally hilarious, never tedious, and only briefly cringeworthy.

Grade B+.