Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Joss Whedon's modern-dress version of "Much Ado About Nothing"--filmed in black and white, in twelve days, in his own Los Angeles house--actually manages to exceed Kenneth Branagh's version of twenty years ago. Branagh's version, to be sure, may have Roger Lanser's glorious color cinematography of a sumptuous Tuscan villa, as well as magnificent performances by Emma Thompson and Branagh as Beatrice and Benedick. But Whedon's version, though slightly claustrophobic, feels more unified than Branagh's, and Whedon's ensemble cast is more consistently excellent than Branagh's. Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof may not be as golden-throated in speaking the Bard's verse as Thompson and Branagh, but they are just as adept in portraying Beatrice and Benedick's emotions, and they are the superior physical comedians. In fact, Whedon's cast is wonderful straight down the line: Reed Diamond as Don Pedro, Clark Gregg ss Leonato, and especially Nathan Fillion as Dogberry. Fillion's masterful underplaying, taking full advantage of every malaprop, is better than Michael Keaton's heavily Beetlejuiced portrayal in Branagh's film. Also, Sean Maher is incomparably better as the treacherous Don John than Keanu Reeves, who looked perfect but sounded like he was coming out of anesthesia. The B&W photography in Whedon's film creates its own cool, jazz-tinged magic, an enormous contrast to the occasionally forced hilarity in Branagh's version. Whedon's "Much Ado" is a perfect post-Watergate Shakespearian romp.