Scotland, Pa.

R

Released Feb 15, 2002

1 hr. 44 min.

Comedy

List

59%

74 Reviews

Tomatometer

74%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

"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.

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Critics Consensus

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

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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

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Billy Morrissette

Director

James LeGros

Joe "Mac" McBeth

Maura Tierney

Pat McBeth

Christopher Walken

Lt. Ernie McDuff

Kevin Corrigan

Anthony "Banco" Banconi

James Rebhorn

Norm Duncan

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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

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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
Executive Producer: Karen Lauder, Marcus Ticotin
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
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo

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