Firstly, mea culpa: I promised Maid-of-Awesome that I would go see this with her as soon as it opened. But when we were in Portland, Oregon, a couple of friends drove in from the coast to see us. And over lunch, as we talked, they said, we want to see a movie with you! (because they love movies too).

And the choice they gave us was this...or the new Woody Allen movie.

And anyone who has read my reviews knows how I feel about Woody Allen movies.

So it was no choice at all. I emailed Maid-of-Awesome afterwards and apologized, and promised to take her to see it. Tonight, in fact, as I write this review.

But still...mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa.

Maybe I'll buy her some of those ice cream things that we used to call bon bons when they were as big as the end of your thumb, before they shrank them down...that'll help.

So anyway. Steve Coogan, who is fast becoming one of my favorite actors, stars as a ditzy and ineffectual drama teacher in Tucson, AZ. Money is tight, and the principal threatens to cut funding of the drama department. Coogan and his students put on a huge overblown musical, Hamlet 2. With time travel. And Jesus as a main character. And none of this is spoilers, since it's in the trailers.

What is NOT in the trailers is how really funny this movie is. It starts off slowly, and builds momentum perfectly, until the denoument, when I guarantee you will be falling off your seat and screaming with laughter.

Folks, this movie is not only a perfect parody of the 'hey kids let's put on a show and make money to save the ___" genre, at the same time it's a perfect EXAMPLE of that genre. Oh my golly, it is wonderful. There are many bad words, ethnic slurs, sexual innuendos, you name it...but damn, it's funny. Just go see it, you will laugh and laugh and laugh.