Much Ado About Nothing

Lionsgate | Release Date: June 7, 2013

7.5	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 67 Ratings

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battlestar_nasDec 23, 2013

Thank you, Mike_M. After trying to watch this god awful movie I searched desperately to see if others felt the same way. The critics are idiots and have truly disappointed me. What is worse, they made me feel as though I was taking crazyThank you, Mike_M. After trying to watch this god awful movie I searched desperately to see if others felt the same way. The critics are idiots and have truly disappointed me. What is worse, they made me feel as though I was taking crazy pills. This movie was terrible. Thank you for the very accurate and well written review.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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Mike_MJun 9, 2013

Short version: awful acting. No--- unforgivable acting overall.
Professional critics are criminally insane to give this a 76 on metacritic; like, crazed-despot insane.
*** This movie is a failure on almost every major front, and mostShort version: awful acting. No--- unforgivable acting overall.
Professional critics are criminally insane to give this a 76 on metacritic; like, crazed-despot insane.
***
This movie is a failure on almost every major front, and most minor ones. Say whatever you like about these actors and this director in general; in this movie, the ensemble and their director have absolutely no ear for dialog. This is related to their problem in setting a comic tone [they don't], finding what's 'in play' at any given time, finding physical things to do, emoting believably [or at all], and finding the heart in the play. They fail line by line, moment by moment, almost every scene. Now imagine them proceeding confidently and professionally despite their cluelessness, and you can almost imagine how bad it is. At least a Turdsville Community Theater production would have emoted sometimes, and tugged on your heart a little. This is very arguably the single funniest Shakespeare play on the page. How can you miss, right? [Incidentally, if I thought that Whedon meant to re-interpret the first romantic comedy as a drama, I would have given it a zero.]

Before I rant any further and you think I have an axe to grind with Whedon, let me say that I went opening weekend, and the rest of the opening weekend crowd did not laugh once for the first 45 minutes of the movie. These people were right not to laugh.

Whedon starts the movie with a smart, wordless prologue that isn't present in the play and sets up Beatrice and Benedick's relationship in the play. This good move, the lighting, and the sound are why I give this movie one point out of ten, instead of zero. Fran Kranz has a few moments, and was the first to get the audience to laugh.

Whedon adapted the play poorly on at least two fronts:
-the male leads as soliders/gangsters, as a modern adaptation choice, makes zero sense
-also, he trims the play and gives it a [too] fast pace, but keeps some very dated lines that Shakespeare's ghost would have likely thrown out without a second thought, either because it's 410 years old, never hit well in the first place, or both. This is one of Shakespeare's least dated plays [in its language and sensibilities], and Whedon finds a way to put dust on it at times.

There is some needless crotch-rubbing in a scene that seemed to need it to Joss, some dumb reframing of the camera, and a few jarringly artsy shots that don't fit the rest of the tone. This is among the worst 10% of movies I have seen, out of hundreds. This is tied for the single worst Shakespeare production I have ever seen [with a 1980's BBC Midsummer Night's Dream that was so artsy as to sterilize the play, and a community theater version of Henry IV, Part 1], out of approximately seventy-five. I like Shakespeare, I like it set in the here and now with American accents, I like black and white, I like weird choices, I like movies that are shot in a minimalist way, I like Whedon. This movie stinks.

As for the critics, allow me to suggest that as a group they are a bunch of concubines. They don't think of themselves as whores, and they're right.

Taking popcorn movies and tv, and making them smart, is Whedon's forte. Taking something smart and making it popcorn, I hope he never tries again. As George Bluth Sr. said to Buster Bluth about why he wouldn't let him play youth sports: "No, no, look, you were you were just a turd out there, you know? You couldn't kick, and you couldn't run, you know? You were just... a turd."

Watch the 1993 Much Ado About Nothing. It's pretty darn good.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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rvanOct 14, 2013

A complete waste of time. Not entertaining at all. Black and white film. What is this retro crap??? I would not recommend this movie at all. Do not bother renting it.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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