Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

i know i wasted 90 mins of my life.

I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Scotland, PA (2001)What a terrific farce. And homage to the Shake. And campy fun movie.Advice? Read a synopsis of MacBeth first—the play, the original Shakespeare drama that this movie is based on. There is no Elizabethan language in this thorough update of Lady MacBeth and crew, but the plot is kind of sort of the same. Only different in all the right ways.And the acting is great. Playing Lady MacBeth (one of Shakespeare's greatest characters) as Pat McBeth, is Maura Tierney, and she's terrific—the disdain, sass, savvy, and brooding are all perfect pitch. And matching her as the detective now called Lieutenant McDuff is Christopher Walken in his usual dry, subtle mode. The rest of the cast is nearly as good (the one sorry exception is the James Le Gros as Mr. McBeth), and the compact scenes click along with peculiar twists and little odd background pranks all through. You have to watch closely.The setting—the kingdom—is a drive-up restaurant, a burger joint, called Duncan's. Duncan (Tome Guiry) is the "king" and if you know MacBeth you know he is doomed. The fight for relevance in this little place is comic in itself, even if you don't know Shakespeare. In fact, you need to feel comfortable diving into this funny gem of a movie even if you don't know a thing about the original story. It stands on its own.A terrific surprise.

The seminal concept is interesting, and for anyone under thirty who hasn't seen the actual play Macbeth or experienced Lily Tomlin, Steve Martin, The Marx Brothers, Tiny Fey or anyone else who puts wit and insight and richly mined humor ahead of stoner attitudes and teen obsessions, this might be a very funny movie. As an independent film, it certainly has the right to its style and convictions, and while I found it a fascinating idea, I got lost in a haze of often indecipherable dialogue and Sophomoric meanderings. As he always does, Mr. Shakespeare will survive being utilized as a springboard, no matter how misguided: the same play was used as a gangster film in the 1950s called Joe Macbeth, and that was rather a mess as well; a fascinating version of the play is the Orson Welles Indie version, made in 18 days on old Hollywood Western sets at Republic Studios, lit dark and made wet--it isn't all clear, but its a fascinating immersion in the genuinely dark world of the renegade Scot and his ambitious mate and its haunting images stick with the viewer. This not so much.

I am not often swayed to rent and even less, write about those movies you see on the shelves of video rental places sporting those funny little logos that surround their covers. Usually these markings indicate that they are some kind of 'special' movie. From my own experience, that marking signifies the movie is a 'dog.' I have rented one or two of these in my 25 years of video watching. Often, I found myself wondering whether I was culturally deficient, and on the other hand, amazed at what some people in the business get away with under the guise of being amateurs.Anyway, on a recent evening when I could not find anything to satiate my video yen, I took the advice of the video store clerk, who knows of my esoteric interests. He suggested one of those 'bordered' movies. Rather than succumb to inevitable boredom, which for me is not having anything new to watch, I gave in to his hype and rented Scotland PA. Wouldn't you know It turns out to be one of the freshest, most hip movies I have screened recently. For what it is, a dark comedy (ala Macbeth) you will find this one right on the mark.Remember Christopher Walken? He is alive and well, at least in this movie. If you are a fan of his, you'll appreciate what he does to make it work. The first time I encountered him was way back in 1983. The name of the movie was BRAIN SCAN, also starring Natalie Wood and Cliff Robertson, that guy who did endless AT&T commercials in the late '70s & early 80's. He was around before that, in many short lived TV series. His most outstanding movies include, The Deer Hunter, Pulp Fiction, True Romance and Disney's The Country Bears. An enduring, diverse and very talented actor.In Scotland, PA. Chris plays an investigator probing in to the Fry-o-later murder of a local eatery owner played by James Le Gros. Crispy! The plot is intricate and does well with the ensemble cast that make this story set in the '70s, move swiftly. It demands most of your attention, because you might miss something if you turn your head. If you like the 70's music of 3 Dog Night, Bad Company, Janis Ian, First Class and others, the soundtrack is essential. The music audio in the movie sounds a little weird, it could have been cleaner. You will even see some footage of Mark Spitz unfold in this great piece of mystery/comedy. The direction and cinematography separate this from a B offering and may make you wonder why New Line or even Columbia did not pick up this Sundance goo-die.Scotland, PA. Is the kind of movie you watch alone, so you can laugh crazily and really enjoy yourself. You do not want to constantly be looking to see if anyone else is getting the humor. It goes too fast for that. There probably is not an actor or actress in the movie you have not seen somewhere else, and that makes it even better. Besides, it is a great one to have long, knowing conversations about when you meet someone else that has seen it. My favorites are the marijuana fairies that show up throughout the flick! Something for everybody, and today, that is an accomplishment. Thank you 'all knowing' video store clerk. I owe you one.

The story of MacBeth is of course one of Shakespeare's classics. The tale of one of the king's generals who is told by three witches that he will become king. So he does, by murdering King Duncan, with the help of his wife, Lady MacBeth.In this modern re-telling, Norm Duncan (James Rebhorn) is not really a king, but is the burger magnate of Scotland, Pa. His cook and right hand man is Joe McBeth (James LeGros), and the head waitress is Joe's wife, Pat (Maura Tierney). Joe is not approached by three witches, but by the vision of three 'hippies' (Amy Smart, Tim Levitch, and Andy Dick). My favorite character was Lieutenant McDuff (Christopher Walken) who shows up to investigate the crime.I believe many will not like "Scotland, Pa.". It is a bit whimsical, a very dark comedy, but for me it was very entertaining. If for no other reason than to see how the Shakespeare classic can be adapted to modern settings and values.SPOILERS. Unhappy with their subordinate roles, Joe and Pat plot to kill Duncan. They aren't very good at this, but after injuring him badly with a frying pan across the head, Duncan stumbles and falls partially into the hot deep fryer, and that is his method of death. Money is missing from the safe so police think it was a robbery, and various locals become suspects. However, when McDuff shows up he begins to suspect the McBeths. McDuff eventually wins the battle of wits. Once again, we see that crime doesn't pay!