Scotland, PA

turn the quirk dial up to 11. the premise is that this is an early 1960s take on shakespeare's play. and some of the elements are there, including some character names. the witches become some sort of hippies. and instead of fighting over a kingdom, they fight over a fast-food joint. lady macbeth is a terrific mutation into a young ambitious wife of a guy who wants to run the store. walken is an under-appreciated comic actor who is really in his element here, and steals every scene he is in. the way his character is written is also very amusing. PLEASE don't be disappointed if this differs from the original - that is the whole point. but give it a chance and you will laugh repeatedly.

I never knew the tragedy of Macbeth could be a comedy, but yes, it is, in this entirely original, pitch-perfect, tightly assembled reworking. Funny as Hell and one of the best reworkings of Shakespeare I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot - Richard III in Latin America, Romeo and Juliet on a cruise ship, A Midsummer Night's Dream in the White House (I paraphrase) - all good, but Scotland, Pa. is GREAT. Lady McB's drive to power, McB's misgivings, McDuff's steady pursuit: All these are transmuted brilliantly to our own worst-taste decade, which itself was a crime worthy of severe punishment - Oy Vey, the spread collars, the giant hair (on the men), the puka-shell necklaces, and rock music dead-ending in Bad Company's dreadful, indefensible, but now, decades later, hilarious cockrock nonsense. But this movie gives us so much more, with casting, performances, dialogue, costumes, and sets that just about killed this resentful child of the 1970s. Some of the time with laughter, with horrified, delighted, I-can't-believe-what-I'm seeing laughter. And a study of human nature, especially when it curdles in the lust for power? That too is in this movie. Question: Is the famously criminal bad taste of the 1970s, somehow also meaningful as a comment on the McBs’ tawdry, criminal behavior? It just might be.

I am not as familiar with Shakespeare's MacBeth as I would have liked to have been before watching this movie, because I know I missed a whole lot of parallels and references, but it was still an enjoyable movie to watch. Without spoiling it, it is essentially MacBeth in modern times, where the murderous couple are appropriately out of their minds on meth. That fact isn't spelled out, but I can tell you (from real people I have known during my life) that their behavior would only be likely if they were on that particular drug, with no sleep for a week or so. It's comedic in the way it's portrayed in the film, and the movie fits soundly into the "dark comedy" slot.

1 star: couldn't watch more than 15 minutes. Unwatchable!2 star: jumped my way to the end for the ending. Unwatchable, but interested in how this turd ended.3 star: watched it all, but not happy about it. Nothing better to do.4 star: I watched it, liked it well enough. Would never watch it again.5 star: Great moving picture show! I'll watch it again, and maybe again in a few years.I swear even the squad car looked like it had 69 Camaro tail lights. The movie is very watchable, but it's not one you'll ever watch twice.

A clever retelling of the tragedy of MacBeth. Rather than being the loyal vassal to the King of Scotland he is the dedicated sort-order cook for the workaholic restaurant proprietor, Norm Duncan. Inevitably Joe's wife decided that the time is now for these "underachievers who need to make up for lost time". After the tragic and mysterious death of the owner, the couple is able to buy the place at a discount from the dead man's sons. Once ensconced as the owners they make a stunning number of changes including big red arches, a drive-thru, and little fried chicken pieces (called little chicken MacBeths). It all seems so perfect until the details start to unravel. A policeman named MacDuff is investigating the murder of Duncan, MacBeth's best friend starts asking questions about where the couple was the night of the murder, and Mrs. Macbeth develops an obsession with a grease burn she got on her hand.This was a movie well worth the money. It was funny from one end to the other. It reminded me of the comment that Kissinger once said about academia "The Politics are especially vicious because the stakes are so small". In this film we see that even the smallest kingdom is sometimes worth fighting for.

I didn't even know this movie existed until I saw it on Amazon Prime Video. But when I did, I just had to buy it! Excellent cast, great EVERYTHING! I can't say enough about this movie, other than GET IT!!

For all of you English majors, you might not dig it. But for the rest of you that can go with good tunes and a little imagination, you might like...made me smile and worth it...Enjoy!

Brilliant, highly original black-comedic adaptation of Shakespeare's "MacBeth". It's all in the nuances & what to some will be just 'throwaway bits'. But to the discerning eye & ear & interpreter, it's those little things that make up the whole of entertainment. Tierney & deGros are wonderful. Corrigan is his usual priceless deadpan & Walken...well....Walken is Walken. 'Nuff said.

I've been intrigued by this flick for a while, especially as Christopher Walken's in it and it's not one of his better known works, so I was pretty chuffed to get my hands on it. I wasn't disappointed. Scotland PA is hysterical and Christopher Walken is a delight as Lieutenant McDuff, the cop with the unfulfilled ambition of running his own food joint. I couldn't move from my seat. The funniest and most off beat take on Macbeth I've watched!

I have, over the years, seen virtually every Shakespeare-derived film that can be accessed by an ordinary person. This is a particularly clever, funny, and tacky (in a good way) version of Macbeth. Some very clever gags, some really good performances, particularly from the wonderful Maura Tierney, and Christopher Walken, who manages to distinguish even the crappiest low budget film, and a well-thought-out series of parallels with the original story. I would recommend this as a fun film in it's own right, but if you know Macbeth it is a joy to see how they have provided equivalents for all the key points in the play.

Adaptación de Macbeth de William Shakespeare ambientada en una pequeña localidad de EE.UU. de los años 70. Lo excéntrico y raro de los personajes y las situaciones así como el humor negro recuerdan mucho al ambiente de Fargo. Para incondicionales de Shakespeare y de Fargo.