This movie is the perfect center of a Venn diagram combining the circles of those who love Joss Whedon with those who dig—like really dig—William Shakespeare. Now, I’m relatively lukewarm on both of these gentlemen, so I don’t blame the movie for that fact that it wasn’t for me. Those who seem to appreciate the original play hail it as another triumphant effort for Whedon, who shot the film in his own home while on a break from post-production on The Avengers. That in itself is pretty cool, and I like that Whedon did this and that he made this movie.
Chances are, you are not me. As such, you very well may get a real kick out of Much Ado About Nothing. I understand it conveys the screwball energy of the play while mixing in a little Whedon-style playfulness. Again, I can’t personally speak to the quality of either of these, but I have been assured by writers I respect that it is so.
The black-and-white images remove all shiny distractions so you can really focus on the romantic hijinks, the witty wordplay, the double entendres, and the power plays. If nothing else, you can enjoy the fact that everyone in it is really, really happy almost all the time. Clark Gregg has a lovely smile, too.
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