When I saw the poster for Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing, featuring Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker, my first thought was that it was a poster created by a fan. A mock up. A fake. It was only when I saw the trailer that I started to think maybe it was a real movie. And one I would definitely want to see.
I kept checking my local cinema listings and eventually found the film was showing at Brighton's independent cinema, The Duke of Yorks, and I asked my ex housemate to join me. When we flat shared we started Buffy night, which quickly became Buffy and Angel night, then after we'd moved into our own abodes we watched Firefly, Serenity and now we're on Dollhouse. Maybe we'll finish up by watching Avengers? So of course, she was my go-to person for a new Joss Whedon movie.
The idea to make the film apparently came about because every summer, Joss invites a group of friends to his house and they all sit around reciting Shakespeare. And on this particular occasion Joss decided to film it. So we have the usual mix of actors who've all worked with Joss before, performing one of Shakespeare's best known plays. A word to the wise, if you've seen Brannagh's version, this is very different to that.
We still have the same basic story, Leonato (Clark Gregg), is visited by his friend Don Pedro (Reed Diamond) with his brother Don John (Sean Maher) in tow in handcuffs. He asks Leonato if he, along with two of his officers, Benedick (Alexis Denisof) and Claudio (Fran Kranz), can stay at his home until they can deal with Don John's treachery. However, as soon Claudio lays eyes on Leonato's daughter Hero (Jillian Morgese), he immediately falls for her. A wedding is soon arranged between the two and with love being all around, it prompts Leonato, Don Pedro, Claudio and Hero to match Benedick with Beatrice (Amy Acker), Leonato's niece. The two have a history of loathing each other so it's quite the challenge. Meanwhile, Don John, with the help of his allies Comrade (Riki Lindhome) and Borachio (Spencer Treat Clark), devises a scheme to destroy Hero and Claudio's love and break them apart. Will he succeed? Will Benedick and Beatrice ever manage to say a kind word to one another?
If you don't know the answers to these questions already I heartily suggest you give Mr Whedon's version of Much Ado a go, as it was very different from previous adaptations I've seen, whilst remaining very faithful to Shakespeare's original text.
I am unsure if the actors chosen were merely round at Whedon's house for the annual Shakespeare reading or if he actually planned in advance to cast them in their respective roles. Whichever scenario is true they are all well suited to the parts they are playing here, with Acker and Denisof seeming to take particular relish from all the verbal sparring with each other, and both surprising me with their dedication to slapstick. The only problem for me, as with anything I see Denisof in, is believing his accent! As I watched him on Buffy and Angel for so long and truly believed he was English, I now always struggle when I hear him perform in his native tongue, to believe that it's his real accent. But I'm sure I'm alone in that and it didn't spoil the film for me, it was merely a distraction.
If you're a fan of Joss Whedon's other films and TV shows you may like to play a little game that my friend and I enjoy, 'when have they worked with Joss before' in which you name all of the Joss Whedon written/directed films and TV shows that the actors have starred in. For example Amy Acker appeared in Angel, Dollhouse and Cabin In The Woods before Much Ado. It's a fun passtime as Joss does like to use a lot of the same actors time and again. In this instance it works well. With the limited budget and time constraints (as well as having to film the picture in Whedon's house), I'm sure it helped that most of the cast knew each other very well beforehand. And it certainly worked well from the audience's perspective, because these characters are supposed to have a history, so it doesn't hurt that the actors playing them really do have one too.
Although I do sometimes struggle with Shakespeare, Much Ado is one of his more accessible plays and Joss and his crew have worked to make this even more accessible via the setting, costumes and familiar actors in these well established roles. See it, even if Shakespeare's not your usual cup of tea! 8 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 22nd June 2013
UK Release Date - 14th June 2013
Cast Overview:
Beatrice ~ Amy Acker
Benedick ~ Alexis Denisof
Dogberry ~ Nathan Fillion
Leonato ~ Clark Gregg
Don Pedro ~ Reed Diamond
Claudio ~ Fran Kranz
Hero ~ Jillian Morgese
Don John ~ Sean Maher
Borachio ~ Spencer Treat Clark
Comrade ~ Riki Lindhome
Margaret ~ Ashley Johnson
Ursula ~ Emma Bates
Verges ~ Tom Lenk
Director ~ Joss Whedon
Writer(s) ~ Joss Whedon (written for the screen by) and William Shakespeare (Play)
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