Much Ado About Nothing

A magical delight from beginning to end.
Joss Whedon's modern-dress version of "Much Ado About Nothing"--filmed in black and white, in twelve days, in his own Los Angeles house--actually manages to exceed Kenneth Branagh's version of twenty years ago. Branagh's version, to be sure, may have Roger Lanser's glorious color cinematography of a sumptuous Tuscan villa, as well as magnificent performances by Emma Thompson and Branagh as Beatrice and Benedick. But Whedon's version, though slightly claustrophobic, feels more unified than Branagh's, and Whedon's ensemble cast is more consistently excellent than Branagh's.

Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof may not be as golden-throated in speaking the Bard's verse as Thompson and Branagh, but they are just as adept in portraying Beatrice and Benedick's emotions, and they are the superior physical comedians. In fact, Whedon's cast is wonderful straight down the line: Reed Diamond as Don Pedro, Clark Gregg ss Leonato, and especially Nathan Fillion as Dogberry. Fillion's masterful...

Wonderful version
This film was a delightful adaptation of a most entertaining play. Whedon captures the screwball nature of Beatrice and Benedick's romance, as well as the dark thread that is the Hero and Claudio plot. Very approachable for Shakespeare, the dialogue is generally fairly straightforward to follow. Terrific performances. It is astounding that so much could be achieved on the barest minimum budget and in such a tight timescale. It was filmed in 12 days with little longer than that in preparation. One of the leads was only signed on the day before filming began and had to master his lines and performance between shooting. Unbelievably good in those circumstances!
Watch it. You won't regret it.

Enjoyable restaging
Whedon keeps Shakespeare's text intact, but changes the setting entirely. Instead of seventeenth century trappings,this is entirely contemporary - with solemn bodyguards, papparazza-on-staff, and a booziness that brings the Gatsby era to mind.

A few details work in surprising ways. A woman takes the role of Conrad, and completely reworks the character in the process. Fillion's Dogberry approaches the level set by Michael Keaton in Branagh's star-studded version. And, in touchstone moments, the conversations that Benedick and especially Beatrice "overhear" have all the comic quality of any rendering I've seen, and better than many. You simply have to experience for yourself Amy Acker's physical comedy in the Beatrice scenes.

This won't convert anyone put off by the archaic language, but might be a good introduction for someone unfamiliar with Shakespeare and with how contemporary his timeless...

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