Much Ado About Nothing | Chris Barnes, Kate Beckinsale

Much Ado About Nothing | Chris Barnes, Kate Beckinsale | Fun, quirky, and true to the spirit of the Shakespearen romantic comedy

DVDs:

Much Ado About Not...

	Much Ado About Nothing Chris Barnes, Kate Beckinsale MGM (Video & DVD), 2003 average customer review:based on 286 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Full of sparkling merriment (The Hollywood Reporter) this sexy sunny comedy positively sizzles as one set of lovers battles against a dirty trick and another set simply battles each other! Adapted by Oscar® nominee* Kenneth Branagh and featuring an all-star cast this charming romp casts the battle of the sexes in the form of an elegant dance (The New York Times).A military war has just ended but the merry war between Beatrice (Emma Thompson) and Benedick (Branagh) rages on! Can their friends trick them into making love instead? For that matter can another couple s devotion survive the evil Don John s (Keanu Reeves) vicious lies? It s up to the blundering constable (Michael Keaton) to save the day so that the course of true love may yet run smooth!System Requirements: Running Time 111 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG-13 UPC: 027616869548 Manufacturer No: 1002756

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Great!

Wonderful movie! Now to find the Flying Karamazov Brothers' rendition of the Merchant of Venice.

Fun, quirky, and true to the spirit of the Shakespearen romantic comedy

I consider this to be one of my favorite movies. It's a true chamer that proves that a good play of Shakespeare can be set at any time. The charming game of cat-and-mouse with lovers is only part of the wonder when it comes to the talented set of actors, each one perfect for their role. However, the best performances are demonstrated by Branagh and Emma Thomspon, whom we all know can do just about anything. The setting of the little villa is charming, and the classical score suits the story well. Even if you think Shakespeare is boring, you will adore this fun romp.

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Ken and Em in Tuscany

After swearing that they will never marry anyone, let alone each other, two bickering "friends", Beatrice (Emma Thompson) and Benedick (Kenneth Branagh), end up falling in love after each is falsely led to believe that the other is in love with them.

Given the fact that neither of his most recent Shakespearean adaptations have received so much as a DVD release out here (Australia), let alone a cinema release, it is hard to imagine that there was once a time when Kenneth Branagh was hailed as being the next Laurence Olivier. However, back in the 1990's, Kenneth Branagh did manage to produce some of the best Shakespearean adaptations ever made, the best of which being the 4-hour "Hamlet" and this version of "Much Ado About Nothing".

"Much Ado About Nothing" is rare among Shakespeare's comedies in that it is actually funny, thus making it one of Shakespeare's most accessible plays, and Kenneth Branagh has a gift for making Shakespeare understandable to anyone, even someone who has never encountered "the Bard" before. Not all of the actors are up to the same standard as Branagh (Kate Beckinsale, in an early film role, is notably wooden), but this is more than made up for by Branagh and Thompson. Branagh and Thompson are both excellent actors in anything in which they appear, but they are at their best when appearing together. When this film was made, they were married to each other and the chemistry between them is something beautiful. I have always considered it to be a great tragedy that their marriage didn't last.

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A pretty good attempt at one of Shakespeare's B-list plays

Nobody could say the storyline in Much Ado About Nothing is particularly clever. In fact, despite some very witty lyricism you would have to say this is one of Shakespeare's weakest plays. Having said that, this interpretation by Kenneth Branagh makes the most of the material. The comic characters are completely over-the-top (including Michael Keaton of Batman fame, and Ben Elton, creator of the Young Ones) and the more serious ones are given a slightly modern interpretation. The main plot which deals with the importance of virginity in a new bride, has a gently mocking modern treatment. The whole play is, as its name suggests, a storm in a teacup and Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thomson make the most of the sarcastic interplay available to them. Even the charming Denzel Washington manages not to stumble over his lines.

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