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Summary: This is a wonderful movie, even if you don't like Shakespear
Review: Branagh directs and stars in this one, and it's great! I didn't like SHakespeare until I saw this. It's funny, and romantic at the same time! Michael Keaton, Keanu Reeves are also good. Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson have great chemistry, too. Very believable. END
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Summary: This story is Shakespeares greatest.
Review: This a romantic comedy that is full of life. I loved it and I think that it is Shakespeare's greatest. I guarantee that you will enjoy it.
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Summary: Story of a love yet to be realized.
Review: Loved MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING very much. It was much easier to read than ROMEO AND JULIET, which I love, too. I laughed at every "quips and sentences and...paper bullets of the brain" between Benedick and Beatrice. They were lovers meant to be together.
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Summary: One of the greatest stories ever overlooked
Review: Much Ado About Nothing will entice even the most stubborn high school junior into reading Shakespeare. Forget about Romeo and Juliet's tragic love, don't even think about turning to Othello and Desdemona for entertainment. Instead, see what happens when Claudio plays out the classic role of never going to the source to find out the truth when he hears of his future wife's unfaithfullness. (He really missed the boat when he believed his jealous half brother over his bride-to-be's indignant insistance of innocence.)Then there is the other pair of equally 'star crossed', ah, enemies, Beatrice and Benedick who spend the majority of their time cat-fighting and spitting hateful nasties at each other; as everyone around them, Prince and Uncle included, know that they are truly, if hopelessly, meant to be together. This is Shakespeare's best comedy, and it deserves more recognitio
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Summary: Excellent, romantic,exciting and a play of compelling wit.
Review: Much Ado about Nothing is a wonderful romantic comedy.Shakespeare does an excellent job of focusing on the everyday antic's of love. His two main characters Beatrice and Benedick are delightfully funny.They are two people who as they throw witty insults at each other fall in love.The other characters add life and merriment to this wonderful play.You will truly feel uplifted and happy after reading it
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Summary: A sparkling and beautiful rendition
Review: Kenneth Branagh's treatment of "Much Ado About Nothing" is crisp, clear, witty, and beautiful throughout. Branagh mixes the classicly trained actors of England with new American talent (Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves) with surprisingly little difficulty. Though Washington is at times too smoothly American to pull off the role, the ensemble is cohesive and believable in most instances. Reeves' woodenness serves him well in his role; he plays the scowling villian fairly well, displaying effort much less often than Jack Lemmon in Branagh's Hamlet. Michael Keaton takes us back to his Beetlejuice days in his cameo appearance, but it fits well and adds humor to an already humorous performance. The sparks between Branagh and Emma Thompson are obvious and enjoyable, expanding on the connection they had developed during the making of Henry V. Overall, this is an immensely enjoyable movie for Shakespeare aficionados and novices alike; understandable without being heavily obvious, this movie should stand the test of time as one of Branagh's best treatments of the master playwright.
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Summary: Best Movie Ever!! by melmcc13
Review: This movie is one of my favorite movies of all time!! I am a huge fan of of Keneth Branagh and Emma Thompson and think they are both wonderful! I absolutely loved this movie and thought that all the actors did a very good job. There were absolutely no confusing parts, and everything from drama to comedy in this film was perfectly displayed. The directing was excellent, and Kneth Branagh makes the movie seem very real. This movie does an excellent job at making Shakespeare fun and exciting!!
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Summary: Good or not..??
Review: Good or not?? Its a GOOD movie I tell ya. I love it. First time I watched it was in my english class. Though I was quite suprised that we're allowed to watch movies that has nudity in it....don't know why. Yeah, there was a bit nudity and AHEM in here. But it is a HILARIOUS movie!! Theres famous actors today, Emma Thompson, Kenneth Baragnan, Micheal Keaton, Keanu Reeves, Kate Beckinsin, Richard Briers, Denzel Washington...lots more that I can't remember. Lots of comedy and romance. Come on, its a Shakespeare play. Its awesome!! Trust me, watch it or buy it I meant. ^_^
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Summary: Fantastic Feel-Great Rendition of Feel-Good Comedy
Review: It's generally difficult to review a Shakespearean production. Not only must you start from the premise that the production is a scaled-down version of a four-hour play, which is by definition a masterpiece, you must also place the production in the context of centuries of other such adaptations ("Is Derek Jacobi's version of "Hamlet" better than Olivier's?"). All this baggage can make a review difficult - do you let the context of the production interfere with your review of its actual execution?
Other times it's easy, and Kenneth Branagh's film version of "Much Ado About Nothing" is a sure-fire five star production from start to finish. Branagh has set this tale of romance-and-nonsense in the definitive beautiful Tuscan villa and filled it with beautiful people (Emma Thompson is particularly radiant, and Denzel Washington virtually glows in his role as the Prince). Romantic, rousing music dominates the soundtrack, and nary a cloud mars the picturesque Tuscan views. A more perfect setting for a romantic comedy is hard to imagine.
It is also difficult to imagine a better cast for this film. Ms. Thompson and Branagh are perfectly matched as wits who profess to abhore love and yet are irresistably drawn together. Denzel Washington is surprisingly comfortable with the Shakespearean rhythms, as is the young Kate Beckinsale. Branagh, of course, has his usual suspects in the cast as well, including Brian Blessed and Richard Briers, ensuring top-notch performances in supporting roles. And Robert Sean Leanord fulfills the promise he showed in "Dead Poets Society" as a Shakespearean actor.
There are two polarizing performances in this movie. One is Michael Keaton's Dogberry, the most laughable policeman ever to walk a Tuscan beat. Keaton approaches Dogberry with the same zeal as he brought to Beetlejuice, and the combination of sincerity, madness, and idiocy he invests in Dogberry make all the malapropisms perfectly appropriate. Sure, he chews some scenery, but that's how the character was written.
Even more polarizing is Keanu Reeves as Don John, the villain of the piece. Many have criticized Reeves' performance as wooden (and worse), but I think it appropriate and well-measured. Don John, by his own admission, is not a man of many words, and it is believable that his anger derives at being overshadowed by so many luminaries. And since this is a comedy, Don John is not expected to rise to the heights of villainy obtained by Shakespeare's other creations, such as Iago. Don John is supposed to be a mild threat to the order of things, an impediment to allow love to ultimately triumph, not a monster. It's easy to pick on Mr. Reeves, but I'm more upset with him for the "Matrix" sequels than for his performance here.
A hugely entertaining clash of the sexes revolving around the trials and tribulations of young love conquering all, "Much Ado About Nothing" lives up to its title. Far from Shakespeare's most serious work, he still manages to do more with it than most mortal writers could dare to dream. A must for the film library!
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Summary: Kenneth Branagh is a literary genius!
Review: Do you like Shakespeare? Do you like comedies? Did you read Much Ado About Nothing and find it to be the work of a literary genius? Then you will love this movie!
Kenneth Branagh not only directed he starred in this delightful comedy. If you read the book then you must, you simply must give the movie a try. The interpretation is brilliant. They copied it word for word, yet when you see someone say those words they take on a whole new meaning and come to life. This in my opinion is one of the funniest Shakespearean comedies.
When watching this movie you will embark on a tale of misunderstandings and mishaps. You will see plots of evil and plots of love. The passion, the humor, the heated debates, the silliness of it all. It will delight you I am sure!
Such a wonderful cast, even though it is a comedy you have the comedy relief played by Michael Keaton (Dogberry) He is the funniest one out of all of them! The scenery is beautiful too, and such gorgeous music, listen to the soundtrack!
See for yourself how funny it really is!
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