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Much Ado About Nothing Customer Reviews (34 - 36 of 48 Reviews)

A sparkling and beautiful rendition
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.

My Favorite Love Story
Many find William Shakespeare's Romeo and Julliet to be their favorite love story, but after seeing this movie it won me over. When you read his work after you see this movie it feels more exciting.
I enjoyed reading A Midsummer Night's Dream, but I haven't seen the motion picture, yet. This was also another great love story with colorful characters.
His colorful characters are one of the reasons why I love his writing so much. They have personalities; they have life. When the protagonists take too much of the story it gets boring, but when you have a rich melting pot of characters in which their lives all meet at some degree its a lot of fun.
In this movie you see song and merriment of the Mediterranean countires. Many courtships arise and the strenght of love, faith and trust are put to the test. See who wins and see who fails and see who gets a second chance.

Alas, Shakespeare can be addictive!
Since the age of 12 (I'm in my 30's now), I have tried to absorb everything Shakespeare. Even though I have trepidations about film adaptations of the Bard's work, I had to see this film based on the prodigious talent of Emma Thompson. I'm glad I gave into my gut instinct, for her portrayal of Beatrice is so natural and glorious, you will actually get swept away with her performance and believe that she actually IS Beatrice!

Most of the supporting cast is also wonderful. Hats off to the performances by Denzel Washington (Don Pedro), Richard Briers (Seigneur Leonato), Brian Blessed (Seigneur Antonio), Michael Keaton (Constable Dogberry), and a absolutely stunning performance by Kate Beckinsale (Hero). The exceptions in the casting are Keanu Reeves (Don John), Robert Sean Leonard (Claudio) and...yes...Kenneth Brannagh (Benedick). Fortunately Reeves' role is small. Leonard's performance seems too contrived, to the point of distraction. And even though this is Brannagh's baby, Brannagh himself portrays the role of Benedick with a smugness that is a bit nauseating. If you read the play, Benedick is not smug at all. Though I enjoy Brannagh's other work, he seems to use Shakespeare as a way to show superiority. I have seen this in other actors, and find such action reprehensible. Shakespeare wrote plays for people to enjoy and to indugle in escapism...not to give people an excuse to be a snob.

Having said that, this film is very enjoyable, and I've actually had friends become Shakespeare addicts after seeing this particular film. I, personally, particularly love the Tuscan locations, and the costuming is wonderful! No over-the-top lacey outfits in this film, but rather those that would be suited to the climate. This adds another depth of reality that pulls you into the story.

If you are a fan of Shakespeare, or any of the aforementioned actors, this movie is a must-see. It's actually one of the very few film versions of a Shakespeare play that I own. This particular interpretation allows the viewer to become comfortable with Shakespeare's style, thus creating an interest in his other work. Well worth the purchase. And yes, it's VERY funny!

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