Much Ado About Nothing

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C C Brilliant modern adaptation of my favorite Shakespeare comedy "Much Ado About Nothing." Terrific cast with genuine chemistry and marvelous comedic timing, including Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker as the battling couple Benedick and Beatrice. Worth seeing just for Nathan Fillion's hysterically funny interpretation of Dogberry as a bumbling modern cop. Cleverly staged at the director's own home in Santa Monica, this contemporary retelling holds its own against Kenneth Branagh's more traditional period piece shot in Tuscany (also outstanding). For pure comedic genius, I love the 2012 version! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/07/25 Full Review Jeff P. Of the three video versions I’ve seen, this is my least favorite. Still worth seeing once but there are much better adaptions out there. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/05/25 Full Review John A A bit similar to the work of an advanced film student. That is not a bad thing in the slightest. Choosing to not shoot in color and not hyper-modernize the dialogue are fascinating directorial moves to make along with the abundant handheld camera work. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/24/25 Full Review Audience Member This was the worst movie I had ever seen for years. Until an extremely low budget movie called Powerbomb starring an independent pro wrestler came out and I watched that. It finally beat this out after decades, but this still remains by far #2 closely behind. It's atrociously boring and the way the people talk made me want to plug my ears. TERRIBLE movie. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Funny, intelligent and sensitive view on accepting goodbyes. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member To be honest I found the world building of this version of Much Ado to be lacking. Wheaton establishes a very modern world in which Beatrice has a sexual encounter/relationship with Benedict that they did not hide and her family seems to know about. Yet Beatrice is still very much a part of a loving family. Wheaton does nothing to establish this is a world where purity in woman is manically prized over all else, women's sexuality may be actually satanic and dueling is a viable way to solve problems. Without these cultural assumptions baked into the world of Much Ado, no ones reactions to Hero's supposed infidelity make any sense at all. Not that a father wouldn't be upset at a daughter being unfaithful one night before her wedding but "I disown you! Go die!" is really out of proportion with everything he established about the world. To say nothing of the fact that Beatrice comes off as a total psycho when she demands Benedict kill Claudio to restore Hero's honor. After just having confessed her love for the man (one of the movies stronger moments, in my estimation) she goes absolutely dead-eyed and cold as ice and says "kill your best friend and comrade in arms," and doesn't even seem to care about the damage this could do to the man she just a second ago claimed to love. Beatrice's demands only make sense in a world with far more old fashioned standards and mores. Also this shouldn't be such an easy ask for Beatrice to make. Her heart should rip in two at this choice between Benedict's well-being and her cousin's life and honor. Something to keep in mind when staging a Much Ado. They work better when you keep in mind that Beatrice is a sane woman in an insane world. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Much Ado About Nothing

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