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Hamlet: The Prince Of Denmark Vs. Strange Brew

Shakespeare's Hamlet is what can be seen as one of the best tragedies of all time. In the spoof Strange Brew (1983), director and actors Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis take bits of the original story and parallel it with their own. Rather than being set in Denmark, the film takes place in Canada, and rather than Hamlet being the brooding son of a king facing his fathers death, it's a brew makers daughter has just died, leaving the empire of Elsinore beer in her hands. Though Strange Brew strays far into the realm of slapstick comedy, Shakespeare's classic tragedy is modernized and made into a story audiences can relate to while still paying respect to this tale of love and revenge through the use of plot line, characters and theatrical elements.
As the film first opens, we are introduced to two brothers, Doug and Bob McKenzie who host a Canadian television show which basically explains how a person can acquire free beer. They spend the last of their money on an angry crowd and are sent on a quest by their father to obtain more beer. Job and penniless, these two set out to take their own advice, and use a baby mouse in a beer bottle as reasoning for why free beer should come their way, and this is the location in the plot where the Shakespearean tale starts to intertwine. Their quest takes them to the Elsinore Brewing Company which they find has recently passed hands due to John Elsinore's recent death, leaving in charge daughter Pamela, 21, and wife Gertrude. As the two brothers learn more, Gertrude has married John's brother Claude, who through marriage owns 49% of the factory. Through the use of a magical arcade machine, Pam and her friend and advisor learn the truth behind what happened to her father, he was not electrocuted like they had originally thought, but killed by her uncle Claude and his evil henchman Brewmeister Smith. This sets in motion Pam's attempts at revenge which are thwarted by being placed in a mental institution that is somehow adjacent...