2008 Back to School Movie Guide

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_ on Aug 18, 2009 at 7:37PM

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Hamlet 2

Cast: Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener and Elisabeth Shue (as Elisabeth Shue!)
Release date: August 22
Why you should see it: Night at the Museum and Tropic Thunder star Coogan is a high school drama teacher who decides the only way to save his job in the face of budget cuts is to write and direct ... a sequel to Hamlet. A politically incorrect sequel. And, yes, of Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Box office bottom line: The comedy was one of the few buzz-generating flicks at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, and set off a bidding war among buyers. Coogan isn't exactly a household name—though his name was frequently mentioned in tabloid stories last year as one of Owen Wilson's hard-partying cohorts—but theater geeks are sure to find plenty of chuckles. And you have to appreciate Shue's sense of humor for allowing her character (herself) to be the butt of several jokes.