Well, for starters, did you know she was in the movie? Now, as I recall, this movie flopped some coming off of its hype at Sundance. And certainly anything Steve Coogan takes part in has vast expectations to meet. And much of the publicity upon its theatrical release was based on the movie being called Hamlet 2 and that there was a song called Rock Me Sexy Jesus. Now this marketing made the movie seem more of a broad comedy, which some aspects are at first glance, but that is simply wool over ones eyes, and a much more deeper, darker comedy lies beneath (that's kudos to the brilliance of Pam Brady). Of course pulling the wool over the eyes is all part of the fun here. And I think that is where Catherine Keener succeeds. She is not known for her comedic chops, though she is in one of the funniest movies of all time in The 40 Year Old Virgin, but more for her aptness at portraying women who want much more out of their life and their struggling with themselves to get over themselves. Her role in H-2 is wife and, without spoilers, added pressure. Keener adeptly takes harsh dialogue that can seem over the top and silly, and makes it real and hurtful, which it is, but by putting the effort into those lines she transforms them into an ultimately rewarding confusion. And that's just fine acting. Yes, Steve Coogan has some goofiness to bounce off Keener's serious acting, but she more than holds her own- giving him, and the audience, glimpses of hope even up until her final departing scene. Her whole performance and storyline, I must admit, made me feel dumb at first. Which is why I wanted to write about it. Her deleted scene reveals some secrets to her character and would've been her best scene in the movie, but this wasn't her movie. This was just veteran actress providing a recognizable and credible face to an ambitious product. Keener takes chances. Hamlet 2 does reach, but Catherine Keener provides it a little bit more extension cord to get there.
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