Much Ado About Nothing
Director: Joss Whedon
Cast: Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Nathan Fillion
Length: 96 minutes
Country: USA
Joss Whedon adapts Shakespeare’s classic comedy Much Ado About Nothing, a familiar film since every other modern romantic-comedy borrows heavily from this play. It is always hard to speak objectively of a cinematic adaptation of Shakespeare because, well, it’s Shakespeare. He is not just a master but the master. No matter what is happening on-screen, the brilliance of the film comes from Shakespeare’s words.
Much Ado About Nothing, the most recent modernisation of Shakespeare, is set in a large upper-class house. This does not matter too much as Shakespeare defies space and time simply through his mastery of language and storytelling (as proven by Ralph Fiennes’ Coriolanus or Tim Blake Nelson’s O). Luckily, Whedon seems to be aware of this, and the primary strength of the film derives from its tone. It is similar to the popular TV series Sherlock, where the writers overcome the challenge of incorporating old language and fashion with modern tongue-in-cheek – for example the whole theatre laughed at the deliberate shot of Clark Gregg turning on an iPod, swaying slightly and subsequently going into one of the most famous scenes in the play. Whedon eases the audience into this contrast through a black and white film, which is often associated with antiquity, paired brilliantly with a vibrant jazzy soundtrack.
While most recent comedies only contain a couple of memorable and genuinely funny moments, Much Ado About Nothing is excellent cinema where laughter flows in continuous stream with no signs of stopping. Another hilarious example is Benedick’s big figure slumping down next to a miniature dollhouse in a girl’s bedroom, soliloquising gravely. Whedon manages to make great use of the timing of the dialogue, the actors’ effortless slapstick and the humour derived from the audience’s awareness that the unusual Shakespearean dialogue in used in a modern setting. Sitting in the cinema amidst virtually persistent laughter was a splendid experience as one can appreciate the fact that people still find Shakespeare funny 400 years later – a tribute to Shakespeare’s brilliance.
While most recent comedies only contain a couple of memorable and genuinely funny moments, Much Ado About Nothing is excellent cinema where laughter flows in continuous stream
Not all of the comedy arises from the shining dialogue, but from the acting, directing and use of the medium of film as well. Whedon seems to capitalize on the fact that Clark Gregg is such a big name thanks to the massive exposure from the Marvel superhero films, so he is constantly placed in goofy situations, generally drunk or dancing. Some sub-par slapstick comedy is attached to the great wit of Shakespeare, but it works as the actors add a physical dimension to the characters that are already fleshed out by Shakespeare.
Much of the time however, the innocent goofiness of the humour borders on becoming dangerously silly, this is easily exemplified by Benedick’s ridiculous though admittedly funny posturing that occurs in the presence of Beatrice. In the end, an adaptation should build on, rather than literally translate, the original source material. Whedon’s Much Ado has clearly been crafted with passion and a great understanding of how to make the humour cinematic, but the pacing of the film seems to have taken a backseat as the scenes with Benedick & Beatrice and Dogberry & Verges could have come from entirely different films. In most adaptations of Shakespearean dramas, there is always a failure to encapsulate the sly humour hidden within his writing. Conversely, there is an unnecessary need to make any conflict in a Shakespearean comedy overly dramatic, as seen in this adaptation with the conniving Don John.
Whedon plays dangerously with being on the one hand almost too light-hearted, and on the other, dark and dramatic to a fault. However, the overall achievement is a film that reignites one’s love in Shakespeare, and for those who know little about the Bard, allows them to appreciate what their literature friends were raving about. Though purists may have complaints, Joss Whedon and his close cast of friends make this hilarious low-budget comedy an excellent experience.
(Much Ado About Nothing is currently playing in the Warwick Arts Centre)
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