In William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Macbeth, a valiant young man receives a prediction for a greater destiny from three soothsayers. It is a destiny that can only be fulfilled through killing the ruler who stands in his way at the prodding of his power-hungry wife. While the young man gets the power he wants, he becomes a cold-blooded killer who sinks into madness. Macbeth has been adapted into film form by the famous directors Orson Welles and Roman Polanski, but for those who find Shakespeare’s language and themes difficult to comprehend or just too dry, there is an alternative in Scotland, PA, a film that takes Shakespeare’s classic and twists it into a hip and surreal suburban fable.
In Scotland, PA, the year is 1975 and the kingdom is a greasy diner in which the heroes Mac and Pat McBeth (James LeGros and Maura Tierney) are downtrodden servers who desire a better life. After visiting three psychic stoners (played by Amy Smart, Timothy Levitch, and the always amusing Andy Dick) in an abandoned amusement park, Mac and Pat dunk their cozy, yet slightly numb boss Norm Duncan (James Rebhorn) in a deep fryer and turn his diner into an enormously successful burger joint. Their biggest problem is the constant prodding by the crime’s chief investigator, Lt. Ernie McDuff (Christopher Walken), and their own descent into the madness that murder and success provides.
Fans of the original play will be amused by the various takes on the characters: Malcolm is a rebellious thug, Donalbain is a sullen, gay teenager, Banquo (or Anthony “Banco” Banconi) is an easy-going hippie, and Macduff is a cuddly, vegetarian police detective who listens to motivational tapes in his car. The film is a smirking black comedy in every sense of the genre. People get killed in bizarre ways (watch out for the fryer incident and the man being impaled by the bull horns on his front bumper) and the McBeth’s insanity is more like comedic neurosis than dramatic madness. The actors’ vivid performances make their characters interesting and believable. The acting highlight is Walken doing a fabulous job as another loveable weirdo.
While Scotland, PA is certainly creative, it is rather dull at times. The dialogue is good for furthering the storyline and showing the characters, but it is largely tedious. There are many points of complete inaction where the characters will sit and contemplate the walls. For those who appreciate the ’70’s, this movie captures the culture well, but the constant retro atmosphere becomes old. Director Billy Morrison tries to replicate the same indie film hipness that made Pulp Fiction great, but the effort largely fails.
The DVD features director commentary and a series of mini-documentaries on the Sundance Film Festival (an obvious plug for the independent film industry). While lacking in dialogue and theme, Scotland, PA is creative rendition of a classic play that has transcended eras and cultures. It is a good introduction to the wonderful world of William Shakespeare for the literature-impaired.