Review of Much Ado About Nothing (2013) by Daniel K — 02 Aug 2013

For a glorified home movie (albeit one made by professionals), this is terrific. As a piece of cinema, it's merely 'pretty good'. It never touches the cinematic verve and infectious joy of Kenneth Branagh's 1993 version and is unable to make its modern day setting really work in the context of Shakespeare's dialogue. But thanks to a likeable cast and evergreen source material, Joss Whedon's 'Much Ado About Nothing' is never less than good-natured fun. Most crucially of all, it's genuinely funny, and in Hollywood's current comedy climate that's reason enough for celebration.

Amy Acker steals the film as Beatrice; she's sharp, funny and, for an actress best known for her television roles, is effortlessly at home on the cinema screen. Terrific support is provided by Reed Diamond as Don Pedro, Fran Kranz in the ever-challenging role of Claudio, and Nathan Fillion as a wonderfully clueless Dogberry (if Shakespeare were still kicking around, some enterprising movie producer would surely have him developing a Dogberry spin-off starring Fillion and his fellow 'men of the watch').

Alexis Denisoff is somewhat hit-and-miss as Benedick, unfortunately. When he delivers the jokes in a dead-pan style he can be very funny, but he often over-eggs the pudding, mugging to the back row with a verve that even Branagh (a marvellously 'enthusiastic' performer) would have backed away from. It brings an interesting imbalance to the central relationship; when Branagh and Thompson sparred back in '93, it felt like a war between equals, but in 2013 Denisoff is completely out-matched by Acker. It gives the final scenes an odd after-taste, as though the fiery, independent Beatrice should have stuck to her 'anti-marriage' guns until somebody substantially more worthy came calling.

Whedon's biggest ace-in-the-hole here is, of course, William Shakespeare, who, after four hundred years, still knows how to get the job done. More than Whedon, Acker, Fillion et al, the script is the real star of the show, and in the midst of 2013's blockbuster season there's not a lot of films you can say that about.

Ultimately it's 'fan film' origins may make it all feel a little insubstantial, but there's a lot to be said for well-formed and entertaining trifles. I had fun.