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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: Sundance Channel Home Entertainment
Salesrank: 25233
Released: October 22, 2002 |
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| Used Price: $1.77 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: VHS Tape |
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Editorial Review:
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
Scotland, PA. Reviews:
Why Do People Think Shakespeare Is Boring? 
2008-01-17 - 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 trying to make up for lost time", Pat convinces Mac to take drastic action. She wants Mac to kill Duncan, but he can't bring himself to kill the man. But gravity takes over and Mac doesn't have to. Thus begins a rise to power for the McBeths who watch over as the business blossoms. Duncans becomes McBeth's, a fast food restaurant complete with the first drive-thru window in town and a French fry truck that drives around town delivering free French fries. But something's rotten in the town of Scotland and a big shot police detective named McDuff (Christopher Walken) is assigned to investigate Duncan's murder. As McDuff unravels what has happened, the McBeth's struggle to hold on to the happy life they have now acquired, no matter what the cost.
The movie does an excellent job at updating the story of Macbeth for modern audiences. The film does skip some of the psychological buildup of Act IV of the play and the ending seems a bit rushed (that's partially because of finances and time issues with the filmmakers). Nevertheless, the heart of the story remains intact. Also, unlike the play (which except for witches farting and the Porter, has very little comic relief) the movie is very funny. It's a dark tragic-comedy. I was an English major and I teach English and I love the movie. However, I know that there are some diehard Shakespeare buffs who are upset that the film cuts so much out from the original play. I don't have an issue with it because the movie stays true to the spirit of the original play.
Overall, a highly entertaining and imaginative update of Macbeth that any Shakespeare fan or movie buff should see at least once. Also recommended for reluctant high school students and stoners.
Walken is as good as ever
2007-11-28 - 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 Walken).
Chistopher Walken is absolutely brilliant in his role as Lt. McDuff, which either because of his style, or past performances, is only enhanced by the writing which Morrissette brings to the script and results in absolutely hysterical laughter from the audience. The soundtrack is perfectly fitting with both the modern and older elements brought into the film with an inspired mixture of classical works and classic rock songs from the seventies. Though 'Scotland, PA' is an exceptional movie, it could have been improved to remove the dragging feeling in several areas during the funeral scenes and introduction. Casting for the film could have been improved by the replacement of Maura Tierney as Pat McBeth as her performance degrades the overall quality of the picture. The adaptation of the three witches of Macbeth / McKellen, Dench (Thames Shakespeare Collection) with the three hippies of the 1970s is just one example of the quality of the adaption made by Morrissette. Despite the difficulties within it, 'Scotland, PA' remains a cinematic marvel worthy of Shakespeare and, if this first film is any indication of what should be expected in the future, a work very likely to launch Billy Morrissette out of the obscure independent film world and into Hollywood as Clerks (Collector's Series) did for Kevin Smith.
a winner
2007-08-05 - 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 Shakespearean English in this adaptation. I personally enjoy watching new versions of Shakespeare's plays both ways--Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet speaks to me in a totally different way than West Side Story, but they both speak to me. I wish I could share this film with my students so they could see how "cool" Shakespeare can be. It would be a great example of the timelessness or the themes or the range of directors' interpretations. Alas, I doubt I'd ever get this one okayed by the administration...
And as a side note, I thought the music was awesome.
Magnificent Modern Macbeth
2007-05-13 - 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.
"We're Not Bad People, We're Just Underachievers That Have To Make-Up For Lost Time" ~ Shakespeare For The Fast Food Generation 
2007-04-25 - `Scotland, PA' released in '01 is a dark, witty, black comedy that redefines Shakespeare for a new generation. Well not really, but overt Shakespearean elements are definitely present in this wonderfully quirky, highly enjoyable Indie film starring James LeGros, Maura Tierney and the always wacky Christopher Walken.
Synopsis: James and Maura star as Mac and Pat McBeth (doesn't that reference slap you right in the face). Mac and Pat both work at a diner in Scotland, U.S.A. There growing dissatisfaction with the owners hiring decisions finally pushes the couple over the edge when he announces the appointment of his teenage son to the vacant manager position instead of Mac. Aided by the advice of three imaginary hippies (McBeth's witches) that appear and disappear at pivotal moments in the storyline poor, confused Mac and Pat decide to rob the diner and use the money to begin a new life somewhere else. However their little robbery inadvertently turns into murder and from that moment on their plans take on drastic and unforeseen changes. Unexpectedly an out-of-town Lieutenant named Mc Duff (Christopher Walken) is assigned to the case and things progress from bad to worse when he begins asking too many questions.
`Scotland, PA' is a clever film with lots of inventive twists and turns. It does however lose a little steam towards the end which is why it receives -3 1/2 Stars- instead of 4.
