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Movies / On DVD / Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing

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Much Ado About Nothing (1993)

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Reviews Counted:40

Fresh:36

Rotten:4

Average Rating:7/10

Consensus: Kenneth Branagh's love for the material is contagious in this exuberant adaptation.

Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: When gallant Don Pedro (Denzel Washington), his nefarious brother Don John (Keanu Reeves), and close confidantes Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard) and Benedick (Kenneth Branagh) ride thunderously into... When gallant Don Pedro (Denzel Washington), his nefarious brother Don John (Keanu Reeves), and close confidantes Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard) and Benedick (Kenneth Branagh) ride thunderously into the Sicilian village of Messina, romance, gaiety, and suspicion abound. The men have returned safely from a war, and soon everyone in the sun-drenched villa is abuzz with thoughts of love. Claudio, enamored of the purity of the nubile Hero (Kate Beckinsale), entreats Don Pedro to woo the maiden on his behalf that evening at a masked ball. Once he's managed the successful betrothal of Hero to Claudio, Don Pedro has another plot in mind: he plans to trick Hero's bantering cousin Beatrice (Emma Thompson) and sworn bachelor Benedick into acknowledging they've fallen in love. Meanwhile, the villainous Don John, driven by contempt for his compatriots, has hatched a plot of his own: to fool Claudio and Don Pedro into believing Hero is unchaste. The plot works perfectly: sensitive but volatile Claudio denounces her publicly on their wedding day. All seems lost, and soon the attempts to set things right include a formal duel, a scheming friar, a mock memorial and a gaggle of bumbling constables. With its excellent cast and beautiful Tuscan backdrop, director Kenneth Branagh's film is a light-hearted adaptation of yet another of Shakespeare's great plays. [More]

Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves

Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves, Michael Keaton, Robert Sean Leonard, Kate Beckinsale, Chris Barnes

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Director: Kenneth Branagh

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jan 13, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Full of "sparkling merriment" (The Hollywood Reporter), this sexy, sunny comedy positively sizzles as one set of lovers battles against a dirty trick, and another set simply battle seach other! Adapted by Oscar® nominee* Kenneth Branagh and featuring an all-star cast, this charming romp "casts the battle of the sexes in the form of an elegant dance" (The New York Times). A military war has just ended, but the "merry war" between Beatrice (Emma Thompson) and Benedick (Branagh) rages on! Can their friends trick them into making love instead? For that matter, can another couple's devotion survive the evil Don John's (Keanu Reeves) vicious lies? It's up to the blundering constable (Michael Keaton) to save the day so that the course of true love may yet run smooth!
  • Source: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
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    Reviews for Much Ado About Nothing

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    21 - 40 (sorted by date)
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    No review available.

    comment Comment
    02/12/03
    Shannon J. Harvey
    Shannon J. Harvey
    Sunday Times (Australia)

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    01/24/03
    Philip Martin
    Philip Martin
    Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

    A fun adaptation of Shakespeare that only suffers from some unfortunate casting, especially with Keaton and Keanu.

    comment Comment
    11/11/02
    Widgett Walls
    Widgett Walls
    Needcoffee.com

    Both perfectly classic and remarkably fresh.

    Full Review Source: Netflix | comment Comment
    11/07/02
    James Rocchi
    James Rocchi
    Netflix

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    10/17/02
    Jeffrey Westhoff
    Jeffrey Westhoff
    Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

    All-star laughs, romance and hijinks!

    comment Comment
    09/17/02
    Clint Morris
    Clint Morris
    Moviehole

    Branagh once again proves he can out-Shakespeare even the Bard himself.

    comment Comment
    09/03/02
    Chuck Rudolph
    Chuck Rudolph
    Matinee Magazine

    Inventively celebrates the sense of heightened vitality which is at the core of all Shakespeare's comedies.

    Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
    08/20/02
    Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
    Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
    Spirituality and Practice

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    08/05/02
    Staci Layne Wilson
    Staci Layne Wilson
    Fantastica Daily

    One longs for genuine bursts of cinematic poetry instead of all the overemphatic gusto.

    Full Review Source: Movieline | comment Comment
    01/09/02
    Stephen Farber
    Stephen Farber
    Movieline

    The picture is overripe, and with few exceptions, so are the performances.

    Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
    05/12/01
    Peter Travers
    Peter Travers
    Rolling Stone
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The good news is that the audience will have just as much fun as the players with this one.

    Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Chris Hicks
    Chris Hicks
    Deseret News, Salt Lake City

    A lusty, vigorous, sun-drenched romp in which two parallel love affairs intertwine with comedic and dramatic results.

    Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    David N. Butterworth
    David N. Butterworth
    rec.arts.movies.reviews

    Director Branagh, who altered the play imaginatively for the screen, gives wonderful import to this silliness from long ago.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Desson Thomson
    Desson Thomson
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Somehow, the movie feels insubstantial and uninspired.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Hal Hinson
    Hal Hinson
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    This film cements Branagh's status as a great director of Shakespeare, and perhaps of film in general, as well.

    Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    James Berardinelli
    James Berardinelli
    ReelViews
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The pace is fast and Shakespeare pleases much.

    Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Mark R. Leeper
    Mark R. Leeper
    rec.arts.movies.reviews

    Kenneth Branagh's return to Shakespeare captures the Bard's captivating comic romance at the peak of flavor.

    Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Robert Faires
    Robert Faires
    Austin Chronicle

    The key to the film's success is in the acting, especially in the sparks that fly between Branagh and Thompson.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Roger Ebert
    Roger Ebert
    Chicago Sun-Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The movie is uneven, but the range is from good to outstanding.

    Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Steve Rhodes
    Steve Rhodes
    Internet Reviews
     
     
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