So, as we recently told you faithful readers, we went to see Much Ado About Nothing. There was much anticipation at our house. Chelsea wore an acting themed t shirt. Keisha wore her I <3 Shakespeare shirt. We both wore Converse (See a future blog post about the Reduced Shakespeare Company. We promise to write one). And away we went. After a fun adventure of actually finding the movie theatre (Curse you Columbia for your lack of street signs!), we actually got to see the movie! So, the important thing: What did we think? We know you’re dying to find out. After all, we are the pre eminent Shakespearean scholars within at least a two block radius of our house. (Chelsea would like to point out that we live near a cemetery.)
*Spoiler Alert* We’re probably going to talk about what happens in the movie here. Since the movie is based on the play, we call a “spoiler alert” on the play as well. Of course, if you have spent much time reading our blog, we have already spoken of the plot in at least two other posts. Perhaps you should just read the play.
Chelsea’s comments:
Much Ado in modern day was quite an undertaking. While I am a newbie to the Whedonverse, I think this film deserves much ado. The ensemble cast was excellent. I actually liked Claudio. I generally dislike this character or at least find both Claudio and Hero flat characters, but here they were real people, dealing with relationships and deceit. I wanted them to be happy. Leonato was endearing as the well-meaning, yet inebriated father. Don Pedro was firmly in charge of the ensuing mischief, Don John and crew were delightful villains and Dogberry deserves a special note for playing the part with such earnest oblivion.
The criticism: Despite nearly universal acclaim, I was not impressed with Beatrice’s performance. Perhaps I have seen the the 1993 version too many times, but Beatrice lacked the spark I associate with the character. I also did not see the point where she made the choice to trust Benedick again. Even in the final scenes, she seems wary of her Benedick. I suppose it makes sense under “once bitten, twice shy” logic, but I wanted to see where she choose to take a chance again. In the beginning, she was the character I love, but was unable to maintain the sparkle. Benedick was not as energetic as some have been, but made it work. I liked that he was kept moving throughout his speeches. I did not like Don Pedro’s proposal to Beatrice being a throwaway line as a drunken joke. He was in actually interested in her.
In nearly all cases, the updating of the story worked. In some cases, it actually added to the humor. For instance, while at Leonato’s, Claudio and Benedick share a little girl’s room, complete with a dollhouse. The close quarters of the house contribute to the ensemble feel and everyone being in each other’s lives and faces. It has been pointed out updating Hero’s storyline is a particular challenge, as her virginity is the issue at hand. This production takes the focus away from such a question and focuses on her cheating on her fiance the night before the wedding. In any era and place, such an action is generally frowned upon. I did have a question: Were the men were supposed to be part of the mob or the US army? They carried guns and talked about being soldiers, but did not seem to be members of the military. The incorporation of modern technology such as Don John’s arrest being posted on Youtube, worked well.
Overall, well done! This was a very good adaptation and I sincerely hope it paves the way for more like it.
Keisha’s comments:
Joss Whedon, you have improved my life yet again! I’ll save you wonderful readers the time of reading through an ode to Joss Whedon (And there is one. Don’t doubt me on this.) Much Ado was quite simply one of the best Shakespeare adaptations I’ve seen in quite awhile, and that’s saying something.
Quite a few things exist that should be praised about this production: the modern adaptation, the casting, the signature Whedon sight gags. The list goes on. Chelsea has already spoken of many of the finer points of the show above. I think I might just highlight a few of my favorite aspects of the show, so you don’t have to read the same things twice.
One of my favorite things about this production was the focus placed on the minor roles. Characters who usually don’t get much notice, like Don John and the pair of Hero and Claudio were elevated. I always like Don John because, let’s face it, I love to analyze the villains. I usually don’t really like Hero and Claudio, however, because Shakespeare wrote them as the lovey dovey couple, and he also wrote them a bit flat. I was actually rooting for them in this production though. Somehow, using the same script written by the Bard, Whedon and the actors were able to make the pair dynamic and less, for lack of a better term, sickening.
Perhaps my favorite part of the show was Nathan Fillion as Dogberry. For those of you who have not seen or read the show, the best way to describe the character of Dogberry would be to name him a somewhat hapless police officer. Fillion fills the role perfectly. I will admit, he was the actor I was the most excited about. (Come on. Who doesn’t love Nathan Fillion?) That being the case, I went into the movie trying not to have too high of hopes. I have been disappointed before. Not this time though. I was actually more pleased than I thought I would be. I could continue on this subject, but I believe that’s quite enough to be getting along with.
For all the praise I have given it, I’m not sure if this should be the first version of the play that one should see. As with most things, I am an advocate of reading the play first. If you’re going to read something by Shakespeare, this would be the one: it’s short and the language is not overly difficult. I even have a hard time reading the Bard at times. And reading the parts gives you a better appreciation for the wit in the lines. Also, the main characters of the story, Benedick and Beatrice, didn’t shine as brightly as they should have. Beatrice was a bit more timid than she should be, in my humble opinion. Benedick was great until he shaved his beard (More proof that beards make men more awesome).
Overall, I do believe I have a new favorite version of Much Ado About Nothing. It is definitely worth seeing. Anytime Shakespeare and Whedon fans can collide is a good time.
In short, we both loved this adaptation, and we are quite critical when it comes to Shakespeare. We highly recommend this one. If you’ve seen this one, or any of the other versions for that matter, we’d love to hear (or read as this is the internet) what you have to say. Comment below. And we also have a Facebook page. We don’t use it much, but we would if more people liked the page. (Keisha is a bit of Facebook addict.) Until next time, dear readers.
