Review: Much Ado About Nothing
One of the things I like most to do in fall is to curl up in a corner of the sofa, with a cup of hot chocolate and maybe some snacks, and watch a good movie. Because fall is so dark and cold, I prefer feel-good movies: movies that are romantic, full of humour and, in some cases, rather predictable. One of my favourite feel-good movies is Much Ado About Nothing. It's actually a play by William Shakespeare but, as with so many of his plays, this one as well has been turned into a movie. For fans of the Harry Potter movies, there are a couple of familiar faces. Kenneth Branagh (Professor Lockhart) and Emma Thompson (Professor Trelawny) can be seen in two of the leading roles, Benedick and Beatrice, respectively. In fact, Kenneth Branagh is the director of the movie! There are also other well-known actors in the leading and supporting roles, like Denzel Washington, Keanu Reaves, Robert Sean Leonard, and Kate Beckinsale.
The story takes place in Messina, Sicily — in a beautiful green landscape. The gallant Don Pedro returns to the villa from a war, along with his men; among those are his brother Don John and his close friends Claudio and Benedick. Claudio falls in love with the young and beautiful Hero, and asks Don Pedro to woo her on his behalf during the masked ball that is being arranged on the evening of their return. Afterwards, during the evening, Don Pedro and his friends get another idea — to trick Benedick into falling in love with Hero's cousin Beatrice and, of course, to trick Beatrice to fall in love with Benedick. The arrogant Benedick has sworn to remain a bachelor, and he and Beatrice do nothing but insult each other whenever they meet.... But, Don John makes plans of his own. Full of contempt and jealousy, he feels sick when he sees his brother and everyone else in the villa being so happy. He decides to try and prevent the wedding between Claudio and Hero, by fooling Claudio and Don Pedro into believing that Hero is unchaste. And so, the dramatic wedding day arrives....
This is no modern story, with no modern adaption. It's sort of old, yet timeless. The dialogue is very poetic, and there are long poetic monologues. However, it doesn't get boring, as the dialogue and monologues are at the same time very witty, and the story is amusing even though it's predictable. The fact that there are so many great actors and actresses certainly means a great deal. They are all excellent in their roles (even though I'm not personally fond of Keanu Reeves, and even though Robert Sean Leonard acts "too much" at times), and Kenneth Branagh has done a wonderful job directing this movie. It's totally worth watching — even though it was made in 1993. I know that I, for sure, will watch it again soon!