Surprisingly incoherent and boring

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Wanted the keanu reeves Kenneth Branagh movie, tivo recorded this one by mistake. I watched it but didn't really enjoy it too much.

I'm not a lover of Shakespeare by any means but I do truly enjoy Kenneth Branagh's take on this play. It's fun, romantic and full of great performances (Even by Keanu Reeves!). This movie feels like it misses the point completely. Despite being one of his lighter plays it feels overly serious throughout. It's more dinner theatre than a genuine movie. I get that this was a passion project but then why make it like this? No one nails the dialogue and nobody seems like they're having any fun except for Nathan Fillion.Lastly, I have no idea why it was black and white. If anything it just made it feel more dull and inconsequential. If you're going to do black and white give it some contrast and maybe shoot with actual film. It looked very digital with the saturation pulled out.There's nothing new and exciting to take from this, so if you really enjoyed the 1993 version I highly doubt this one is for you. The characters are dull and unmemorable and I kept getting the men mixed up. Skip it.

A little more than halfway through Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing, our anti-heroine Beatrice and our anti-hero Benedick profess their love for each other. It's a tender, affecting moment that neatly offsets the humor of the rest of the film. It's such a beautiful scene, in fact, that I grew misty eyed and euphoric, and that's how Shakespeare movies and plays are supposed to make you feel.Elegant without being condescending, Whedon's modern-day take on the classic comedy of errors is a masterpiece. In short, Don Pedro, his right-hand man Claudio, and his brother Don John visit a noble named Leonato. Leonato has a daughter named Hero, with whom Claudio quickly becomes infatuated. Don Pedro offers to woo Hero at the evening's costume party, whereupon he will "give" the young lady (with papa's permission) to Claudio. Simple subterfuge, but all is revealed to Hero, and all is well. Until the villainous Don John gets involved, that is, and a major misunderstanding tears the couple apart.While all of this is going on, Claudio's best pal Benedick - an avowed bachelor who scorns marriage - spars verbally with Hero's cousin Beatrice, who is equally adamant on the topic of marriage. This being Shakespeare, I think we have a good idea where these two are headed. Oh, and along for the more-obvious comic relief (as opposed to the more cultured banter between Beatrice and Benedick) is the local night watchmen, overseen by Dogberry, a man who would have trouble detecting his own behind with both hands. I'm digressing, but you get the idea.I won't go too much deeper into the plot, because most viewers probably had to read the play in high school or college. Since it's a comedy, suffice to say that all's well that ends well. But the performances! Many of the players had worked with Whedon on earlier projects such as Angel, Buffy, Castle, Firefly, and The Avengers and may be familiar by look if not by name. Nathan Fillion, the able captain of the good ship Firefly, is well cast as the clueless Dogberry (in one memorable ad-libbed scene, Dogberry and his assistant realize they've locked their keys in their car and frantically search their pockets). Clark Gregg, Agent Coulson to you, plays Leonato. But the entire cast stands out. This is a real triumph of talent, expertly shot (at Whedon's own house) and acted with such audacity and tenaciousness.

The film was shot in Santa Monica (Los Angeles County, CA, US), in modern dress, with computers, pistols, automobiles, and live cell phone video.Leonato, the governor of Messina, welcomes back Don Pedro and his comrades, Benedick and Claudio, from a successful campaign, and hosts them for a time. Claudio and Leonato's daughter Hero take a liking to one another quickly. Benedick and Leonato's niece Beatrice take a dislike to one another and argue heatedly.Claudio and Hero's marriage is arranged quickly, while friends decide to deceive Benedick and Beatrice into thinking that each is in love with the other. Don Pedro's brother Don John arranges for Borachio and Conrade to bear false witness that Hero was untrue to Claudio. The marriage is stopped during the ceremony. Hero is rejected as an adulteress by her prospective groom, by her father, and by Don Pedro. Beatrice does not believe it. The priest at the ceremony counsels cooling down and investigating.Since this is a comedy, one knows that most of the issues will be resolved with a good dose of wit.-----Scores-----Cinematography: 8/10 Greyscale (the vast majority of pixels are neither black nor white) is not my favourite, and never will be. Despite that, most of this film is beautifully shot; I took off 2 points for camera shake.Sound: 7/10 There is a whole lot of mumbling going on. I was hoping for crisply spoken and perfectly miked dialog.Acting: 7/10 Amy Acker, Sean Maher, Clark Gregg, and Reed Diamond were delightful. I expected a bit more from some of the other actors.Screenplay: 9/10 The modern visuals with a dose of modern musical instruments coupled with the original text was an interesting mix. Perhaps this is not for everyone, but I liked it.