Steve Coogan as the well-meaning and articulate trainwreck in question is captivating to watch. His special mix of dry wit, physical comedy and 100% commitment to the ridiculous recalls Peter Sellers at his finest. And it helps that in many of his films, he can't for the life of him keep his pants pulled up. The increasingly outlandish staging of his pet play, a sequel to Hamlet set in the future and featuring Jesus Christ as a celebrity, wreaks a certain amount of havoc on the small Arizona town where Dana lives. His wife runs away with their dolt of a housemate Gary (amazingly cast David Arquette as aforementioned bo hunk) and his fascist principal threatens to shut down the drama department, making Dana and his show an overnight, sensational pillar of free speech and artistic freedom. That's the short version.

But even that doesn't really do it justice. If you were smart enough to watch this movie when it came out in theaters, then you'll know that it bears watching over and over and over again. And if you weren't, you have hours of laugh-til-you-cry side-splitting to look forward to.

As the movie mentions obliquely -- and director Andrew Fleming points out overtly in the extras, Hamlet 2 is an unusual take on the time-honored cannon of inspirational movies (Dangerous Minds, Mr. Holland's Opus, etc.), and I use the term "unusual" with ironic understatement. More than either of those films, this one deserves a place in the cult classic hall of fame alongside Spinal Tap and The Jerk.

In conclusion, this movie rules. Buy the DVD.