This may or may not be a love letter to Joss Whedon so I apologise in advance.
If you've read a couple of articles in this blog you may have realised that I am a sci-fi fan, a fantasy junkie and a Joss Whedon geek. I'm all for the nerdiness, guys. I've repeatedly shown my love towards Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Serenity, Angel and Dollhouse, writer of The Cabin in the Woods and director of The Avengers) here, here, here and here and now Much Ado About Nothing is added to the list of things I love. So, let's take things from the beginning.
After having wrapped up The Avengers, Joss Whedon decided not to take a break. Instead he gathered many of his friends and collaborators from his previous works in his house and started shooting a different kind of film. This time - and for the first time- it wouldn't be something he had previously written but an adaptation of a Shakespearean play: the comedy Much Ado About Nothing. He filmed it in his own house in a period of 12 days without much of a budget. And when the project was finished it was shown at a couple of festivals until its release in the summer of 2013.
The story of the play is a complicated one. There is the governor of Messina, Leonato (Clark Gregg) who is visited by a friend of his, Don Pedro (Reed Diamond) who has just won a campaign against his brother Don John (Sean Maher). There are Claudio (Fran Kranz) and Benedick (Alexis Benisof), Don Pedro's two officers and there are also Leonato's daughter Hero (Jillian Morgese) and niece Beatrice (Amy Acker). Claudio immediately falls for Hero and asks her to marry him whereas Benedick continually quarrels with Beatrice. While Leonato, Claudio and Don Pedro try to make Benedick and Beatrice fall in love, Don John tries to destroy the upcoming wedding of Claudio and Hero. What happens next is a series of funny and comic events that create a very charming film.
If you've read a couple of articles in this blog you may have realised that I am a sci-fi fan, a fantasy junkie and a Joss Whedon geek. I'm all for the nerdiness, guys. I've repeatedly shown my love towards Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Serenity, Angel and Dollhouse, writer of The Cabin in the Woods and director of The Avengers) here, here, here and here and now Much Ado About Nothing is added to the list of things I love. So, let's take things from the beginning.After having wrapped up The Avengers, Joss Whedon decided not to take a break. Instead he gathered many of his friends and collaborators from his previous works in his house and started shooting a different kind of film. This time - and for the first time- it wouldn't be something he had previously written but an adaptation of a Shakespearean play: the comedy Much Ado About Nothing. He filmed it in his own house in a period of 12 days without much of a budget. And when the project was finished it was shown at a couple of festivals until its release in the summer of 2013.
The story of the play is a complicated one. There is the governor of Messina, Leonato (Clark Gregg) who is visited by a friend of his, Don Pedro (Reed Diamond) who has just won a campaign against his brother Don John (Sean Maher). There are Claudio (Fran Kranz) and Benedick (Alexis Benisof), Don Pedro's two officers and there are also Leonato's daughter Hero (Jillian Morgese) and niece Beatrice (Amy Acker). Claudio immediately falls for Hero and asks her to marry him whereas Benedick continually quarrels with Beatrice. While Leonato, Claudio and Don Pedro try to make Benedick and Beatrice fall in love, Don John tries to destroy the upcoming wedding of Claudio and Hero. What happens next is a series of funny and comic events that create a very charming film.
What always amazes me whenever I see a Shakespearean play is how contemporary it is. We watch a story that has been written so many years ago, yet what we see can easily be transported into our times. And with this film, this is what they've managed to do. The setting is modern, the clothes are from the 21st century and even if the words are from another time it never feels old. The actors - all of them successful on TV - deliver their lines with clarity and passion and they manage to persuade us of their feelings while at the same time they seem to really enjoy themselves.
This is a refreshing, light-hearted, funny and enjoyable comedy - and believe me, there are some very comedic scenes during which, the audience burst out laughing- that gives a modern and edgy look to a classic story. Nicely done, Joss. I love you and your wonderful ideas. (see? this really ended up being a love letter)
Finally, allow me to give a shout-out to the one and only Nathan Fillion who plays Dogberry, a police chief and steals the show. (Seriously, everyone was talking about him after the credits rolled). Don't miss it!
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