Hamlet 2 (2008, USA)

The first two-thirds of Hamlet 2 really cross that line between funny and uncomfortable. But it’s generally worth sitting through for the staging of the play itself, which is an absurdly Dadaist spectacle. Why is Laertes a cowboy? And why is he onstage with Albert Einstein, singing a song called “Raped In the Face”? It’s a pretty catchy tune, actually, though not quite so hummable as “Rock Me Sexy Jesus”.

I think now I get why Steve Coogan hasn’t really caught on Stateside. With the exception of some of his straighter roles in films like 24 Hour Party People, he can be really, really disturbing. Imagine Will Ferrell at his weirdest, but with a suicide wish. Coogan’s Dana Marschz cries a lot, screams a lot more, physically abuses his students, and writes a high school musical featuring a gang bang that involves Dick Cheney and Jesus. Even I was a little bit freaked out. But it could be worse. I could be in Tuscon.