Scotland, PA. Digital Life VHS

Scotland, PA.
starring: John Cariani, Kevin Corrigan, Andy Dick, Geoff Dunsworth, Doug Gochman

Used Price: $1.77
Collectible Price: $29.95

Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 0758445900132
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
Label: Sundance Channel Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Sundance Channel Home Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Sundance Channel Home Entertainment
Release Date: October 22, 2002
Running Time: 104 minutes
Sales Rank: 27325
Studio: Sundance Channel Home Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: 2002

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Editorial Review:

Amazon.com:
Think of Scotland, PA. as truck-stop Shakespeare, Macbeth given a drive-through makeover as the deadliest of deadpan comedies. Writer-director Billy Morrissette got this wacky idea from an early job at Dairy Queen. He makes the most of that bad memory by casting his own wife (ER's Maura Tierney) and indie stalwart James LeGros as Pat and Mac McBeth, a married pair of Pennsylvanian schemers, circa 1973, who plot to escape their thankless jobs at Duncan's burger joint. They dispatch Duncan in a sizzling accident (you want fries with that corpse?) and inherit the diner from Duncan's stoner son (who's also a suspect), hoping to prove to Detective McDuff (Christopher Walken, at his funniest) that their newfound happiness is entirely legal. Like The Big Lebowski, this movie's hilarious if you're in on the joke, and familiarity with Shakespeare is optional when you've got a 'rock block' of Bad Company hits to keep the grisly comedy on track. --Jeff Shannon

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Why Do People Think Shakespeare Is Boring?
As director Billy Morrissette points out in a preview accompanying the movie, SCOTLAND, PA is Macbeth but for high school students who struggle with Shakespeare, who are stoned, or both.
Shakespeare's tale of the Scottish warrior turned king is moved from medieval Scotland to 1970s America. Norm Duncan (James Reborn) owns a popular local diner named Duncan's. He's a respective businessman in the small town of Scotland, PA and his hardest-working employee is Joe "Mac" McBeth (James LeGros). Mac's best friend, Anthony "Banko" Banconi (Kevin Corrigan) gives Mac some inside information about some embezzling that the manager, Douglas McKenna (Josh Pais), is involved in. Mac and his wife, Pat (Maura Tierney), Doug in the act, inform Duncan, and watch as he's fired and thrown out of the restaurant. Mac thinks it's his big break, but Duncan only promotes him to Assistant Manager. Tired of being an "underachiever ... Read More

Rating:

- Walken is as good as ever
In his directorial debut, Billy Morrissette brings us the best adaption of William Shakespeare to date in the world of film: 'Scotland, PA.' Morrissette, also the writer of this movie, effectively adapts the classic tale of MacBeth into the blue collar world of a fast food restaurant in the 1970s. Joe McBeth (James LeGros) and Pat McBeth (Maura Tierney) are a pair of workers in a local fast food restaurant called Duncan's, but Joe has many ideas for innovations and the pair conspire to murder the owner of Duncan's when their advancement is stifled and ideas are used by the management. This action brings into effect the remainder of the movie detailing a cover up reminiscent of A Simple Plan, but with the addition of absolutely brilliant comedic performances by the cast and writing on the part of the director. The murder itself, and the ensuing cover up, is investigated by the local police by Lieutenant Duff (Christopher ... Read More

Rating:

- a winner
As an English major and English teacher, I am definitely not the audience this was intended for. In the commentary, the director says that it's all well and good if the typical Shakespeare lovers embrace the movie, but he's really making it for the pot smokers who've never even heard of Macbeth because they were too busy getting high to bother reading the play or even show up for class (loose paraphrase from what I remember when I watched this a year or two ago). But whether or not it was made for people like me, I loved it. Some of the low ratings have been attributed to the fact that it's just taking an old story and modernizing it. Sure, people who write stories from scratch deserve a ton of credit, but there is also a great deal of creativity involved in telling an extremely well known story in a totally fresh way. Scotland, PA succeeds there. There were also some complaints about the fact that they don't use the ... Read More

Rating:

- Magnificent Modern Macbeth
This Shakespearian adaptation updates Macbeth to the 1970's and puts him in a diner in Scotland, PA. Macbeth's ambivalent ambition but submission to his sexy wife (played formidably by former ER nurse, Maura Tierney) is developed nicely in this film. It is easily understood by a modern audience. Christopher Walken is hysterical as vegeterian Detective MacDuff and makes Macduff a vivid, rounded character.

Note to teachers: preview the film before showing it to students. There is cursing and there are two scenes which you may find questionable and want to censor. I think it is fine for High School Juniors and Seniors, but more conservative teachers/ districts may object to it.

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