Much Ado About Nothing (2012)

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING  (2012)  ¢ ¢ ¢ 1/2
    D: Joss Whedon
    Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Nathan Fillion,
    Clark Gregg, Reed Diamond, Fran Kranz,
    Jillian Morghese, Sean Maher, Spencer Treat Clark
Shakespeare fast and loose, a comedy about love and misunderstanding shot in 12 days at the home of director Joss Whedon, with Whedon's de facto stock company making up much of the cast. It's in black and white, for no good reason I can think of, except that it looks kind of cool. The performances are variable - even condensed Shakespeare can be a mouthful - but the actors are game, and the sheer silliness of the material gives them more room to play than they'd get with something like "Hamlet" or "Macbeth". Clark Gregg as the patriarch Leonato and Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof as the bickering Beatrice and Benedick are standouts. Jillian Morghese as Hero sounds a little flat and rushes her lines when she's got a lot to say, which sometimes makes her hard to understand. She's cute, though, with a smile to die for. You can see why the moonstruck Claudio (Fran Kranz) would fall for her. It's maybe not the most polished Shakespeare adaptation you'll ever see, but that's not the worst thing in the world, either. It's a fun play, and Whedon and the gang are having fun doing it. If you pay attention, it'll make you laugh. That's why Shakespeare wrote the thing in the first place. That's what the ado is all about.