Much Ado About Nothing

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Summary: You take pleasure in the message, then?
Review: What a brilliant cast, what brilliant camera-work, what a delight for the eyes, and what music to the ears!

Keaton is a little creepy to my taste, but he is generally entertaining for all that. Robert Sean Leonard does a terrific, boyish Claudio ... the thoroughly sleazy Keanu Reeves plays upon him with an ease which is painful to witness. This appearance by Denzel Washington demonstrates his worthiness to receive an Oscar, only I wish that award had been for this role rather than Just Another Cop Movie; the cast all together work miraculously well together, you almost feel Shakespeare wrote this play in the nineties, with this cast in mind. Branagh and Thompson are terrific as ever ... they must have been uncomfortably like Beatrice and Benedick in real life, two great talents too sharp to fit one another peaceably ... but this is one of the documents which make you wish they could have continued a lifelong partnership. To see this, is to regret that Thompson fell into a period of prolonged dowdiness in such things as "Carrington" and "Howard's End" (both beautifully filmed, but both rather tawdry stories ... part of their power, I suppose, being the dissonance between their visual beauty, and how "soiled" the stories make the viewer feel).

Shakespeare is too great that any one production might claim to own him, but this movie is a model of perfection ... you nearly feel that no one else may have any right to Much Ado.

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Summary: Fantastic Shakespeare representation
Review: Even my husband and 12 year old son love it! Every time we see it we are quoting the words. funny movie yet with drama and some suspense. Emma Thompson, denzel Washington and Keenue Reaves are perfect in this romantic comedy of Shakespeare. The area the movie is made in does not look like sicily but rather Tuscany.
Must see.

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Summary: Timelessly delightful.
Review: These days in Hollywood, Shakespeare is the new Jane Austen. Watching Michelle Pfiefer or Ethan Hawke try to pull it off makes you appreciate what a genre it is unto itself. And how masterfully Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson glorify and make fun of it at the same time. This is the true spirit of Shakespearean comedy--spastically silly while deep and biting. I don't need to tell you that the script is great, but there are actors (and directors) who can make it harder to realize if you're not familiar with the bard. These two know it like their own souls--they were bred on it till you can't tell where it stops and they begin. Equally important is Branagh's knack for universalizing Shakespeare on film, in a way that no one without a firm foot in either field can pull off with the same success. This production emanates love: of Shakespeare, of what it's doing, and of course, the chemistry between the then real-life husband and wife Branagh and Thompson.

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Summary: One of my favorite films!
Review: Okay....what's wrong with it? Keanu Reeves. He's not built for Shakespeare. Everything else, though, I love about this film. It's lush, it's terribly funny, and sooooooo romantic. It's always a joy to see Shakespeare done in the RIGHT way...that is, no pomp, and by actors who can make the flowery script sound like a conversation between two contemporary friends. Very well done, and a pleasure to own.

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Summary: Much Ado! This is Something!
Review: This version of Shakespeare's masterful romance/comedy is entertainment at its highest level! The characters are delightfully portrayed by skilled actors that quickly draw you into the intimacy of their lives. You laugh, love, discover, feel, agonize, and sympathize with the main characters so much so that you feel a part of the powerful story. The seemingly difficult language of Shakespeare is spoken with such ease and natural human emotion that it translates into simple communication to the common viewer. It's a wonderful experience for the avid Shakespeare fan and a terrific place to start for newcommers to his fan club! The scenery is enchanting and the music is beautiful! This would be a huge hit for any romantic!

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Summary: Heaven on Film
Review: Whether you are a Shakespeare buff or have never read a single one of his plays, you will adore this gorgeous movie and entertaining interpretation of "Much Ado About Nothing". The location is breathtaking, the direction clear and good and the acting scrumptious. Well, maybe Robert Sean Leonard (as loveable, rash Claudio) and Keanu Reaves (as Don John, the Prince's bastard brother) were slightly miscast, but Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington and Kenneth Branagh more than make up for it in their charming performances. See this film as soon as you can- you will fall in love!

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Summary: Even Benedick & Beatrice Would Agree this is a Great Movie!
Review: I'm the first to admit that I'm not an expert on Shakespeare or his work.I can't tell you if Director/Actor, Kenneth Branagh has stayed true to the Bard's original text or themes. What I can tell you is that Branagh's version of "Much Ado About Nothing" is a light and enjoyable film that makes me smile, laugh and even sigh.The title pretty much says it all about the plot.There are two sets of couples who are in love.One couple (Claudio & Hero) has their love threatened by the nasty meddlings of others (more percisely the evil, Don John).The other couple (the battling Benedick & Beatrice)are brought together through the trickery of others, but their love is more threatened by their own personalties and neuroses (shades of Woody Allen!).Branagh's version of this simple plot is delightful.The actors for the most part show a good deal of chemistry together. This is especially true for Branagh and Actress, Emma Thompson (who eventually married and divorced in real life). Their fighting Benedick & Beatrice really hit a note of perfection.The play's hilarious insults easily flow from the lips of these two wonderful actors. Denzel Washington also does a fine job, as his sparkling personality comes out, in the role of the domineering, yet friendly Don Pedro.I know it's not to everyone's taste, but I cracked up at Michael Keaton's bizarre take on Constable Dogberry. It's rather interesting to see Beetlejuice doing Shakespeare with a touch of Monty Python thrown in.The only false note of the production is Keanu Reeves as the villainous, Don John.Why do producers and directors continue to put this guy in their movies? He has to be the most wooden actor in the universe!The film is also very beautiful to look at. It puts to good use it's Italian countryside locations and sets. The same can be said for the costumes (especially the masks worn in the party scenes).The DVD to this film has a good clear picture. The extras were a bit on the skimpy side with one very short 'making of feature' and a trailer.I highly recommend watching this movie with the DVD player's subtitle feature in the 'on' position to follow the wonderful text.For a fun evening of light entertainment, I highly recommend this version of "Much Ado About Nothing".

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Summary: "Featurette" not worth it
Review: This review pertains to this DVD, and not the movie itself. I LOVE this movie, and already have a copy on DVD. When I saw that it was being re-released with a featurette, I was anxious to buy it for the extra footage. The "featurette" is about 7 minutes long and is just a glorified trailer. It contains lots of movie clips and some interview material. The interview material focuses mostly on plot related topics and themes, and offers no insight into the making of the film or the beautiful location in Italy where it was shot. If you do not own this movie and are looking to buy it on DVD, I would recommend it. However, if you already own a copy of this movie on DVD and were thinking of buying this version for the featurette, don't waste your money.

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Summary: A good start to Shakespeare
Review: Much Ado About Nothing is the lightest, most benign Shakespeare play produced by Hollywood in the Bard's 1990s renaissance. Modern audiences will find this version to be enjoyable and entertaining, but lacking the weighty issues normally explored in his more serious works.

I am not exactly a connoisseur of Shakespeare's comedies, but a modern film version of one of his works is light-years ahead of the typical melodramas churned out by Hollywood. Even though this particular play is limited by its simplistic "black and white" morality, the characters are complex and the plots and sub-plots go in directions that are not always predictable.

This play presents many of the devices common throughout much of Shakespeare's lighter works: hidden identity, love triangles, deception, usurped titles, etc. Someone just beginning to tackle the Bard's canon could make no better choice than starting with this little tale. I find it a much more appropriate play for High School Freshman than the popular choice of Romeo and Juliet. Do we really want 13 year olds hearing that suicide is a way to show love?

Many people have problems with some of the cast in this production, and maybe this criticism is justified. I find it interesting, however, to see Shakespeare performed by a wide range of modern actors. This version gives us classically trained thespians, Hollywood movie stars, and whatever category best suits Keanu Reeves.

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Summary: Branagh's Best
Review: Obviously there are many reviews for this film -- I don't want to take up too much space - just want to say that this film demonstrated to me that Branagh is a true talent. Henry V and Hamlet are both failures in my opinion -- although both have wonderful aspects, Branagh overacts severely... however his ranting and raving work well in this fine rendition. Emma Thompson is absolutely wonderful as his foil. Denzel is quite good as well. The actress who plays Hero is beautiful, and acts reasonably well. The actor who plays Claudio is utterly forgettable -- he would do well playing the part of a woman. But the worst is Keanu Reeves. I can only guess that Branagh chose him to attract young girls to this movie, otherwise it makes no sense... he is such a sorry actor -- I earnestly believe that many people who have NEVER acted in their lives could do at least as well as Keanu in this role if not better. His performance is an embarassment, and he should leave the profession and do something more suitable to whatever talents he does have (except Bill and Ted's, he was great in that.) But I digress. Bottom line is that this is a wonderful film -- restored my faith in Branagh. He should do more light roles like this and stay away from Hamlet &c.