
Catherine Keener and David Arquette watch John McCain's RNC speech.
An unwaveringly optimistic teacher tries to inspire a rag-tag group of high school drama-class kids in
, a funny, inspired riff on uptight middle America and its intolerance of controversial art. That sounds fairly serious, but the movie is anything but, relying on everything from toilet jokes to a blue-jeans-clad Jesus for laughs.
Dana Marschz (the cosmically talented
), a failed actor who starred in herpes commercials and Xena episodes, has semi-retired to Tucson as a high school drama teacher. His stage adaptations of big-screen hits such as
and
have made him the target of vitriol from the faculty, not to mention the school newspaper’s adolescent critic. When the district threatens to shut down the drama department, Dana decides to take matters into his own hands and write an original dramatic work for the class
.
He comes up with Hamlet 2, where the Shakespearean figure travels through time with Jesus to save the lives of everybody who died in Hamlet. The show, which is quite awful, includes a musical number, “Rock Me, Sexy Jesus,” that features Coogan as the Son of Man in a wifebeater, kicking Satan’s ass. Dana’s students are confused; his bosses are outraged; and his wife (
) just doesn’t get it.
Dana is banned from the school cafeteria, where his drama class usually convenes, because the lunch ladies find him distracting. The production sets up shop in an old warehouse and, when word gets out about its content, all hell breaks lose. The media swarms Dana and his cast, and the
American Civil Liberties Union
sends out a lawyer (
, in her funniest screen role yet) to make sure the show goes off without a hitch.
In one of the greater movie jokes of the year, actress
plays herself, having retired from acting to become a nurse. Dana, a ridiculously loyal fan, discovers her at the hospital, and gets her to speak to his class and attend the show. Shue’s willingness to poke fun at Hollywood and herself is both refreshing and uproarious. The fact that she wears her nurse’s uniform to the class and the show is a great touch. It’s a bold and funny poke at Hollywood stardom, and Shue totally embraces it.
Coogan is consistently funny as Dana, a man so driven that he can’t see his play is terrible—a blindness that turns out to be a good thing in the end. As Dana’s wife, Keener brings her usual large dose of class and talent to the proceedings. She’s especially good in a drunken restaurant scene where she takes Dana to task.
manages some good laughs in a mostly silent role as the couple’s roommate.
The film has many outlandish touches that give it a bizarre yet welcome vibe. The Tucson Gay Men’s Chorus belting out “Maniac” is one of them, as is the surprisingly upscale home environment for one of Dana’s tougher and more troubled students. Dana’s battles with student critic Noah Sapperstein, played by the very young-looking Shea Pepe, are epic.
It’s also a nice twist that the final production of the show is visually and sonically pleasing. Dana and his cast have put plenty of thought into lighting and staging their opus. Ophelia’s rescue from drowning, featuring student Epiphany (
) twirling in front of a huge projected ocean, is actually quite effective.
And, yes, the number for “Rock Me, Sexy Jesus” is good enough to warrant real Oscar consideration. Hey, if
can get a nod, why not “Sexy Jesus?”
The summer is turning out to be a good one for comedies, with
,
and now this. That’s three really good comedies in one month, and I can’t remember the last time that happened. We have been cinematically blessed.
Directed by Andrew Fleming.
Written by Pam Brady, Andrew Fleming
With Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener and Elisabeth Shue
92 min.
R