MUCH ADO - A movie review -
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is a perfectly charming modern update of one of Shakespeare's comedies with a wonderful backstory-- it was filmed in just 3 weeks for funsies in Joss Whedon's Hollywood home by actor friends of his who get together for reading parties every Sunday. Making another film is how Whedon relaxed (!!) from making the huge budget, highly explode-y AVENGERS movie. This film is b&w, and with costuming that calls back to 1940's clothes, it feels like a light romantic comedy of Hollywood's earlier era, but the Elizabethan dialog is kept. You get used to these actors speaking this way pretty quickly, and their performances are so wonderful you get all the major meanings and emotional tones from context.
Plus Whedon frames shots and includes whimsical touches that add to the mood. Like the photo of Fran Kranz drunkenly swimming with a cocktail and snorkel as the movie poster. That scene is a lovely reversal: you've already seen these wealthy, powerful people in their garden party getting drunker and behaving more wildly. This ridiculous shot of Kranz is where the Bad Guys manipulate him into a jealous snit, and he believes it because he's so tipsy (still has the goggles on!). Whedon also starts with a non-dialog scene that totally makes sense for this world, plus it helps set up a complicated relationship that is the main heart of the play. He also does things like casting tall, pointy-nosed nerd girl Rikki Lindholme as Konrade, aide-de-camp to the evil royal bastard, Don John, instead of a man. That gives the scenes of scheming between Don John and Konrade new levels, which can and does include full-on-legs-in-the-air sexual shenanigans. And one of my favorite touches: the Shakespeare music! Shakespeare includes singing in several of his plays, and I've heard so many of them set to ho-hum music. But the "hey nonny nonny" song here is set to a jazzy swing sort of melody written by Joss himself that is priceless with this era.
How could I not see this? I'm a Shakespeare buff-- more than that, I'm a Shakespeare completist in that I've seen a performance of every Shakespeare play (go, BBC TV!) and will search out modernizations and retellings. Heck, I've got a fantasy story in-process set in Elsinore combined with elements of The Tempest. AND I'm a huge fan of Joss Whedon (my disappointment in the structure of FIREFLY notwithstanding). Heck#2, I even bought the DVD of DR HORRIBLE despite seeing all the episodes on the Web.
And, like many a geeky girl before me, I totally identify with Beatrice, the charismatic, smart and mouthy woman of means (her dad left her a fortune) who dearly loves/defends her cousin and who has no time for men and their silliness. Until she realizes this smart-mouthed guy with no time for women is her soulmate. I was so impressed with Amy Acker in this role, used to seeing her as a stammering wallflower in lots of Joss Whedon shows. There are so many innuendos and double meanings in Shakespeare's lines, moreso in the comedies, and she's a voluble character to boot. The way she shows that her wit and merry-making and barbs are protecting a vulnerable core is awesome acting indeed. However, I will say that my favorite Beatrice of all time remains Emma Thompson.
A few times shots are blurry or sort of awkward, but hey, 3 weeks! And while the actors were so good (Nathan Fillion as Dogberry! Yes! One of the best comedic roles in Shakespeare, and Fillion in a padded, cheap fitting black suit jacket was priceless -- sotto voce "And please make note that I am an ass"), there were two miscastings in my mind. I know he's using his actor friends who had time to devote to this for little or no money, but still!
Benedick is so important in this play. He's the mouthy, cynical counterpart of Beatrice. He says lots of inflammatory, boorish things that you're supposed to see as a cover for the soft-hearted guy inside. But Alexis Denisof plays him broadly as conceited and kind of an oaf. He's not worthy. I like the actor, and love that he and Willow have multiple babies, but I don't accept him as a powerful swashbucklery kind of guy either. Instead, I wish that Fran Kranz was in this part. Fran is really good playing the kind of guy who figures things out and uses lots of words to keep people at bay. He would've been mouthy AND subtle. Instead, he's cast as the young, naive Claudio, who through disappointment does some really cruel stuff, yet you still have to like him at the end. He looks like he's 32 (he is) and experienced, so while his acting was good, his look was off. I would've put Spencer Treat Clark (who knew the son of GLADIATOR could mouth Shakespeare so easily?) as Claudio. I would've moved Denisof to the celebrity Don Pedro role, where he could look dashing. And Reed Diamond? Ehhh, cut him loose.
Plus Whedon frames shots and includes whimsical touches that add to the mood. Like the photo of Fran Kranz drunkenly swimming with a cocktail and snorkel as the movie poster. That scene is a lovely reversal: you've already seen these wealthy, powerful people in their garden party getting drunker and behaving more wildly. This ridiculous shot of Kranz is where the Bad Guys manipulate him into a jealous snit, and he believes it because he's so tipsy (still has the goggles on!). Whedon also starts with a non-dialog scene that totally makes sense for this world, plus it helps set up a complicated relationship that is the main heart of the play. He also does things like casting tall, pointy-nosed nerd girl Rikki Lindholme as Konrade, aide-de-camp to the evil royal bastard, Don John, instead of a man. That gives the scenes of scheming between Don John and Konrade new levels, which can and does include full-on-legs-in-the-air sexual shenanigans. And one of my favorite touches: the Shakespeare music! Shakespeare includes singing in several of his plays, and I've heard so many of them set to ho-hum music. But the "hey nonny nonny" song here is set to a jazzy swing sort of melody written by Joss himself that is priceless with this era.
How could I not see this? I'm a Shakespeare buff-- more than that, I'm a Shakespeare completist in that I've seen a performance of every Shakespeare play (go, BBC TV!) and will search out modernizations and retellings. Heck, I've got a fantasy story in-process set in Elsinore combined with elements of The Tempest. AND I'm a huge fan of Joss Whedon (my disappointment in the structure of FIREFLY notwithstanding). Heck#2, I even bought the DVD of DR HORRIBLE despite seeing all the episodes on the Web.
And, like many a geeky girl before me, I totally identify with Beatrice, the charismatic, smart and mouthy woman of means (her dad left her a fortune) who dearly loves/defends her cousin and who has no time for men and their silliness. Until she realizes this smart-mouthed guy with no time for women is her soulmate. I was so impressed with Amy Acker in this role, used to seeing her as a stammering wallflower in lots of Joss Whedon shows. There are so many innuendos and double meanings in Shakespeare's lines, moreso in the comedies, and she's a voluble character to boot. The way she shows that her wit and merry-making and barbs are protecting a vulnerable core is awesome acting indeed. However, I will say that my favorite Beatrice of all time remains Emma Thompson.
A few times shots are blurry or sort of awkward, but hey, 3 weeks! And while the actors were so good (Nathan Fillion as Dogberry! Yes! One of the best comedic roles in Shakespeare, and Fillion in a padded, cheap fitting black suit jacket was priceless -- sotto voce "And please make note that I am an ass"), there were two miscastings in my mind. I know he's using his actor friends who had time to devote to this for little or no money, but still!
Benedick is so important in this play. He's the mouthy, cynical counterpart of Beatrice. He says lots of inflammatory, boorish things that you're supposed to see as a cover for the soft-hearted guy inside. But Alexis Denisof plays him broadly as conceited and kind of an oaf. He's not worthy. I like the actor, and love that he and Willow have multiple babies, but I don't accept him as a powerful swashbucklery kind of guy either. Instead, I wish that Fran Kranz was in this part. Fran is really good playing the kind of guy who figures things out and uses lots of words to keep people at bay. He would've been mouthy AND subtle. Instead, he's cast as the young, naive Claudio, who through disappointment does some really cruel stuff, yet you still have to like him at the end. He looks like he's 32 (he is) and experienced, so while his acting was good, his look was off. I would've put Spencer Treat Clark (who knew the son of GLADIATOR could mouth Shakespeare so easily?) as Claudio. I would've moved Denisof to the celebrity Don Pedro role, where he could look dashing. And Reed Diamond? Ehhh, cut him loose.