Shot in only 12 days on a shoestring budget, Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing is, as the critics are wont to say, a triumph.
Filmed in black and white on location in Whedon’s California home, the whole piece oozes style. The location is beautiful, the costumes immaculate and the dialogue razor-sharp and expertly delivered. Clark Gregg (you may know him as Agent Coulson from The Avengers) plays Hero’s father Leonato and, in an interview for the Miami Herald, said ‘we [Americans] have such a hang-up about Shakespeare… we think it was meant to be performed by Brits only’. I can honestly say that the American verve and sensibility that the cast brought to their performances worked in the film’s favour; it felt like an incredibly current rom-com.
Avid Joss Whedon fans will be happy to see a few familiar faces in the cast from his previous works, from Buffy, Angel and Firefly to Dollhouse and Cabin in the Woods. Firefly’s Nathan Fillion is a particular standout as the bumbling Dogberry.
One of my own favourite elements of the film was its score. Lavish party scenes are accompanied by lounge-style versions of Shakespeare’s own verse, perfectly marrying the original text with the contemporary setting. I was surprised to learn that Whedon had composed the score himself, but then remembered that he composed all the music and lyrics for Once More with Feeling, the Buffy musical episode. This is a man of many talents.
This adaptation had me laughing out loud and I would highly recommend it to fans of Shakespearean comedy, fans of comedy in general and people who like to look at pretty things.
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Mr Hancock