Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

Scotland, Pa.

R Released Feb 15, 2002 1h 44m Comedy List
59% Tomatometer 74 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
"Scotland, Pa." is a black comedy retelling of Shakespeare's "Macbeth," set against the backdrop of a fast food restaurant in the early 70s, rural Pennsylvania. This classic tale of guilt and betrayal centers on the McBeths, Joe "Mac" (James LeGros) and Pat (Maura Tierney) who are stuck in their dead-end jobs at Duncan's Restaurant. Pat is getting restless and hatches a plan as Mac starts to see things - three hippies, (Andy Dick), (Amy Smart) and (Timothy "Speed" Levitch) to be exact.
Watch on Peacock Stream Now

Where to Watch

Scotland, Pa.

Scotland, Pa.

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Though it's not as good as it could have been, Scotland PA shows cleverness at utilizing its premise.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (74) Critics Reviews
David Rooney Variety Offers more mild amusement than outright laughs... May 20, 2008 Full Review Steven Rosen Denver Post There are some truly wacky parallels with Shakespeare's play. Rated: 3/4 May 10, 2002 Full Review Desson Thomson Washington Post It's simple, sizzly and very funny. Rated: 4.5/5 Mar 22, 2002 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault It’s yet another indie movie that’s supposed to be hip and funny but never is. Rated: F Sep 3, 2022 Full Review Ron Wells Film Threat This should have been a black comic masterpiece. Rated: 3/5 Dec 6, 2005 Full Review Philip Martin Arkansas Democrat-Gazette ... can't be dismissed as a vanity project Rated: C+ Aug 8, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (327) audience reviews
Audience Member I love a good Shakespeare adaptation — and Macbeth happens to be my favorite play of The Bard — but Scotland, PA, at its best, is a dark comedy, but at its worst, is just plain silly. First off, Joe ‘Mac' McBeth (James Le Gros) plays our protag as a numbskull while his wife, Pat (Maura Tierney), is the classic femme fatale. Part of what makes the play so enjoyable is that both characters are cunning and opportunistic, not just the female half. The plot revolves around ownership of a fast-food restaurant in the 1970s — very cool. However, where a real adaptation concerning innovation, greed, and pride could've driven the story, comedy rears its ugly head and derails the momentum. The "three witches" are feral hippies (Andy Dick, Amy Smart, and Timothy Levitch) and don't do the story any favors, unfortunately. Where the nods to the original are well-done comes in the form of "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" soliloquy on the self-help tape and the "bloodstain" changed to a burn from errant, hot oil. Yeah, Walken is good as Lieutenant McDuff, but it's not enough to push this into the recommends. Had Scotland, PA committed to either drama or comedy, it likely would've been a better movie. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Great modernized Shakespeare piece on my favorite story of his: Macbeth. The witches are great modernized satire of the story. I loved this. Walken is WalkenL Excellent/ Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review nilufer e I usually like black comedy when they are funny but this one was more of a eye-roller for me. I love Maura Thierney and Christopher Walken but they weren't enough to save the movie for me. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member I was expecting a smart, funny update on Macbeth. Instead, it's boring and bad except for the excellent first encounter with the witches, the murder of Duncan (and subsequent burn biz), and the always reliable Christopher Walkom. (If you want a fantastic Macbeth update, check out Men of Respect (1990) with John Turturro and Rod Steiger set in the world of the Mafia. Great gangster flick that is also perfect for teachers who want to get kids turned on to Shakespeare.) Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member There is nothing bad about this movie. Excellent production, writing, acting, and Shakespeare to boot! One of my favorites!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member From the 1600s to the 1900s this film is a different atmosphere from before. A burger joint? Pretty unique and made Scotland, PA even more funny and interesting. Scotland PA is the same story of Macbeth just in a different setting, more modern time, and in this case this film is about a burger joint and who can do a better job at working a restaurant ; Macbeth or McDuff. Shakespeare's Macbeth is a tragedy and is one of his darkest works ever created but this film didn't seem that way and I enjoyed the movie even more because it made of fun of Macbeth but got the point through. Scotland PA reminds me of a competition of who can be better and a burger joint makes sense. As I was watching this film with my Drama class it was more exciting and I got more of an understanding what Shakespeare was trying to say on Macbeth. Very dramatic that it almost didn't seem like they were being serious because of how each character acted; exaggerated and hilarious. Since William Shakespeare was such an amazing storyteller it was so different from what I expected. I felt like the theme of this movie was not only to see who is better but shows what frustration and power can lead to and how it can be dangerous. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Scotland, Pa.

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Fast Food, Fast Women 47% 75% Fast Food, Fast Women Sorority Boys 12% 54% Sorority Boys Melvin Goes to Dinner 100% 80% Melvin Goes to Dinner The Whole Nine Yards 43% 64% The Whole Nine Yards Next Friday 21% 76% Next Friday Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis "Scotland, Pa." is a black comedy retelling of Shakespeare's "Macbeth," set against the backdrop of a fast food restaurant in the early 70s, rural Pennsylvania. This classic tale of guilt and betrayal centers on the McBeths, Joe "Mac" (James LeGros) and Pat (Maura Tierney) who are stuck in their dead-end jobs at Duncan's Restaurant. Pat is getting restless and hatches a plan as Mac starts to see things - three hippies, (Andy Dick), (Amy Smart) and (Timothy "Speed" Levitch) to be exact.
Director
Billy Morrissette
Producer
Richard Shepard, Jonathan Stern
Screenwriter
Billy Morrissette, William Shakespeare
Distributor
Lot 47 Films
Production Co
Paddy Wagon Productions, Veto Chip Productions, Abandon Pictures
Rating
R (Some Nudity|Brief Violence|Language|Drug Content)
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 15, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 13, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA)
$384.1K
Runtime
1h 44m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Most Popular at Home Now