Rating: 
Summary: Perhaps the best of the Branagh-Shakespeare films.
Review: All right, I admit it. I think Kenneth Branagh is brilliant as an actor and a director. (I'm ignoring that whole "Wild, Wild West" thing. I'm not sure who's to blame for that.)He built a reputation for his ability to bring Shakespeare to the screen with unparalleled accesibility. Together with his then-wife Emma Thompson, a continuing company of actors and artisans, and a hand-full of big 'Hollywood' actors, "Much Ado About Nothing" may be the best of Branagh's Shakespeare films. Granted, when Shakespeare doesn't do tragedy, the plots sometimes border on sit-com. The old 'Three's Company' joke applies. 'Oh, is this the episode with the misunderstanding?' This is one of those. But if you go into it with a light attitude, it rewards. In this film, the performers deliver Shakespeare's lines as if it's modern language. Clear and covincing, amoungst beautiful scenery and costumes. It's great fun, and I was so pleased when they recently reissued it on DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT a review of the movie:
Review: Standard disclaimer: when rating a play by Shakespeare, I rate it as compared to other Shakespearean plays, not as compared to the general run of literature; otherwise, the ratings in general would be too high to be very informative. This play, for instance, would certainly rate five stars in a general rating. As it is, this play can be read either of two ways, and depending on how one reads it, it's either one of Shakespeare's better comedies, or somewhere below mediocre. Naturally, I prefer to read it the way I like it better, and so rate it highly. If, however, one reads the dialogue at face value, this is a play bearing many resemblances to my absolutely LEAST favorite of Shakespeare's plays: "The Taming of the Shrew". It is a romantic comedy in which the main plot device is that two people who despise one another manage, in spite of that minor impediment, to fall in love. It has the saving grace that there is no hint of Benedick "taming" Beatrice; their idiocy is mutual and completely parallel, but I've always hated this particular plot, and continue to do so. The continuing popularity of it has contributed to an uncountable number of mismatches in real life, as people have been encouraged by their cultural mythology to believe that strong emotion equals attraction, even when it seems on the surface to be repulsion. On the other hand, in this play it is very easy to read Beatrice and Benedick's lines, right from the beginning, as more bantering than bickering (although there ARE a couple of places where it is a bit difficult to do so) and as the playful teasing of two people who actually ENJOY each other's company for the challenge of the verbal byplay. If one reads it that way, the play makes a great deal more sense, and is actually quite enjoyable. (Plus, it has the advantage of the romance being between two grownups, rather than lovestruck teenagers, as in "Romeo & Juliet".)
Rating:
Summary: Every Time is Better
Review: The first time I watched this movie years ago, I didn't understand the humor and missed out on a good chunk of the movie's point. Now that I am a little older, I enjoy the movie much more because of the humor. The characters are likable and fun, and the plot entertaining. I definitely recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: I pull for Claudio, the Underdog
Review: This may shock a lot of Shakespeare fans, but I really hate Beatrice! She is just as bad as Claudio, just as quick to judge and quick to condemn. I only saw this movie because they showed it on my vaction flight to England. I watched it only because of Branaugh and Thompson, and while my overall opinion of the play and the characters did not change, I believe it was well done. It proves the versatility of Denzel Washington, and I got to see Kate Beckinsale in an early role. I was hoping Emma Thompson's performance might help me see Beatrice in a better light, but it didn't. No offense to Ms. Thompson, but I pull for the Underdog.
Rating:
Summary: Sigh no more, ladies...
Review: One of the problems with Shakespeare's comedies, an English professor once told me, is that they are not funny. Now, this is not to say that Shakespeare was a bad comedy writer, or that this professor had no sense of humour. In fact, quite the opposite--he had turned his sense of humour and love of humour into an academic career in pursuit of humour. What he meant by the comment was, humour is most often a culture-specific thing. It is of a time, place, people, and situation--there is very little by way of universal humour in any language construction. Perhaps a pie in the face (or some variant thereof) does have some degree of cross-cultural appeal, but even that has less universality than we would often suppose. Thus, when I suggested to him that we go see this film when it came out, he was not enthusiastic. He confessed to me afterward that he only did it because he had picked the last film, and intended to require the next two selections when this film turned out to be a bore. He also then confessed that he was wrong. Brannagh managed in his way to carry much of the humour of this play into the twentieth century in an accessible way -- true, the audience was often silent at word-plays that might have had the Elizabethan audiences roaring, but there was enough in the action, the acting, the nuance and building up of situations to convey the same amount of humour to today's audience that Shakespeare most likely intended for his groups in the balconies and the pit. The film stars Kenneth Brannagh (who also adapted the play for screen) and Emma Thompson as Benedict and Beatrice, the two central characters. They did their usual good job, with occasional flashes of excellence. Alas, I'll never see Michael Keaton as a Shakespearean actor, but he did a servicable job in the role of the constable (and I shall always remember that 'he is an ass') -- the use of his sidekick as the 'horse' who clomps around has to be a recollection of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, where their 'horses' are sidekicks clapping coconut shells together. I'll also not see Keanu Reeves as a Shakespearean, yet he was perhaps too well known (type-cast, perhaps) in other ways to pull off the brief-appearing villian in this film. Lavish sets and costumes accentuate the Italianate-yet-very-English feel of this play. This film succeeds in presenting an excellent but lesser-known Shakespeare work to the public in a way that the public can enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: An Exquisite Film!!!
Review: "Much Ado About Nothing" is a beautifully made, performed, and directed film by the incomparable Kenneth Branaugh. This film includes an all-star cast that give wonderful performances and draw you into the lives of the characters. The plot is somewhat complicated, so I'll give a general version. The film is basically about love, misunderstanding, scandal, revenge, virtue, and bravery. That's a lot for one film, but believe me, it's all in there! Kenneth Branaugh, Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves, and Michael Keaton give excellent performances in this film that you wouldn't want to miss. Although the film is a period piece and the Shakespearean language is used, you will have no difficulty understanding it perfectly. The scenery and landscape in this film are exquisite as well. I never thought there could be such a beautiful, untouched place like that on earth. I would suggest watching the film just for the beautiful landscape, but it's the performances and the story that you should really pay attention to. Anyone who loves Shakespeare would absolutely love this film! Anyone who loves Kenneth Branaugh and what he has done for Shakespeare in the past 10 or 15 years will appreciate this film as well! There isn't one bad thing I can say about this film. Definitely watch it, you won't be disappointed!!!
Rating:
Summary: finest comedy
Review: this is shakespeare's finest comedy. it has the most interesting and well-balanced romance, and a secondary story that is substantial and moving. besides petruchio in 'taming of a shrew', benedick is the only male character in a comedy that is close to being the equal of his female love interest. beatrice is still a bit too much for benedick, but he hangs in there, and their tete-a-tetes make for some of the most interesting lines in all of shakespeare. beatrice is also one of shakespeare's most interesting and charming female characters. i know many readers prefer rosalind from 'as you like it', but i find beatrice's wit, laced as it is with some unexplained bitterness, far more intriguing, even alluring. besides, maan is just a flat-out better story than 'as you like it' or 'twelfth night'. the story never sags as it does in these other plays. it's my favorite shakespeare comedy.
Rating:
Summary: Since summer first was leafy...
Review: "Much Ado About Nothing" is one of those sparkling adaptations that supposedly couldn't have been done. But Kennneth Branagh (director and star of "Hamlet," and creator of the supremely underrated "Midwinter's Tale") brought an all-star cast in a sparkling Tuscan setting, to bring this tale of bickering loves and sordid betrayals to life as never before. The sullen Don John has just been stopped in a rebellion against his brother Don Pedro, by young hero Claudio. Now all of them (including Don John, whom his brother has forgiven) are arriving in Messina, the home of kindly Leonato. But when they get there, Claudio immediately falls in love with Leonato's beautiful daughter Hero. And despite the efforts of Don John, Don Pedro manages to get the two young lovers together and altar-bound. But Don Pedro isn't willing to stop there. Hero's cousin Beatrice has a long-running feud with Claudio's pal Benedick -- they insult each other, they bicker, they argue about everything ("It is so indeed -- he is no less than a stuffed man!"). What's more, both of them swear to stay single forever. ("All women shall pardon me -- I shall live a bachelor!") Pedro and the others conspire to get Benedick and Beatrice to somehow fall in love with each other. And at first it seems that everything is going well -- until Don John manages to cast doubt on Hero's honor There's a certain timeless quality to "Much Ado" -- not just the dialogue, but the simple costumes and the buildings in it. That leaves the audience free to pay more attention to the dialogue and its plot. And what a plot it is! "Much Ado" is brimming over with funny dialogue, dastardly plots, comedic supporting characters and weird pairings. (Beatrice and Benedick are the sort of love-hate couple that a lot of movies try to have, but don't succeed with) The dialogue is mostly (if not all) Shakespeare's own, but it's not necessary to be a Shakespeare buff to understand what they're saying. It's not dumbed down, either -- it's just spoken as normally as ordinary English. And the Tuscan landscape sparkles with life, passion, and lots of fruit and wine. You don't need to be a fan already to understand and appreciate this movie. Kenneth Branagh (who also directed and adapted the play) is amazing as Benedick, lovably witty and egotistical; he gets a little silly at times (such as his bird calls or joyous romp in the fountain), but demonstrates his serious ability after Hero is disgraced. the outstanding Emma Thompson is even better as the sharp-tongued Beatrice, a fiery young woman with her own mind and definitely her own mouth. Thompson lashes out Shakespeare's witty lines as easily as if she just thought them up herself; one of her most powerful scenes is here. Denzel Washington (Don Pedro) looks like he's having a great time; Keanu Reeves (Don John) is a bit flat in places, but glowers well enough. Kate Beckinsale's first movie role (Hero) is suitably sweet and adorable. Robert Sean Leonard (Claudio) is the one weak link in the cast; he seems a bit too overwrought and hysterical to be a major hero. (No pun intended) This movie was unavailable for a very long time and only recently was rereleased on DVD. The DVD is pretty spare; aside from the movie, there are a few DVD promos (for "When Harry Met Sally" and "The Princess Bride" -- both, I notice, comedic romances) and a brief making-of featurette. The featurette doesn't really offer much that is new, but does give some insights into the chosen settings and why the cast wished to do the movie. Those who enjoyed Branagh's "Hamlet" and "Henry V" will rejoice in "Much Ado About Nothing," the quintessential romantic comedy. Funny, sweet, romantic, and incredibly well-acted, this is a keeper.
Rating:
Summary: A GOOD DVD RELEASE FOR A FINE FILM!!!
Review: William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" is brought to life with elegance and grace. Aside from the nudity and [adult] content, this is a great film full of funny humor, a great cast and brilliant filmmaking (Credit for that goes to Kenneth Branagh, who has proven time and again that he is as fine a director as Spielberg, Lucas, and Scorcese, if not better). The second DVD release features a fine digital transfer of the film, complete in it's 1.85:1 Widescreen format. The short featurette "Making 'Much Ado'" is not the best doc ever made, but it does it's job. Other special features include the Theatrical trailer and trailers for the "When Harry Met Sally..." and "The Princess Bride" DVD's. A fine addition to the collection. Get this along with "Henry V."
Movie Grade: A+
DVD Grade: A-
Rating:
Summary: Good and then maybe not so good
Review: I first saw this movie when I was in a high school production of Much Ado in February 2003. The first time I saw it, I liked it. And then, I started to find myself acting like the people in the movie. Then I watched the movie again, and I realized that it really isn't that great.
First of all, the only thing I don't like in this movie is the acting (and the gratuitous nudity at the beginning)--everything else is perfect. So let's cut to the acting.
Kenneth Branagh gives a good rendition of Benedick, although I think he could have been more emotional. He seems to run on this one emotion of confusion that gets tiring after awhile. Emma Thompson as Beatrice gets extremely annoying after awhile. The Hero and Claudio parts are played good. Then we get to Denzel and his part of Don Pedro. I am sorry but Denzel is not a Shakespearean actor. He really was bad. Keanu Reeves, playing Don John, wasn't as bad, but didn't come off as evil enough to me. Dogberry, Verges, and the watchmen are hilarious, they were good. Leonato was a little too weird for my tastes--he didn't seem to flow. Antonio was good...eh, that's most all of the main characters. Oh yeah, and Margaret was ugly.
So that's my review. Have a nice day
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