'Much Ado About Nothing' Creates Quite A Stir

When Joss Whedon decided he needed a vacation after “The Avengers,” he had an idea. He and his friends, many of whom acted in his movies, television shows, and web series, would often come over to Whedon's house and do Shakespeare readings. So he reasoned, why not get them all together and do a staging of “Much Ado About Nothing?” The result, filmed over twelve days in black-and-white at Whedon's own home, is certainly charming.

Because boy, does Whedon know how to do a modern staging. If only the material lent itself as well to today's world. Sure, the words are lovely and eternal, you have the bickering rivals who are obviously destined to fall in love, but beyond those few very basic elements, this is not a play that meshes well with the modern world. Other plays, such as “Romeo And Juliet,” fare better.

That's not to say there's not a lot to enjoy. What would normally feel like a vanity project feels instead like a warm gathering of friends, who are united by a love of literature. And of course, there is the problem of delivery. How should an actor deliver such beautiful, yet also such demanding, outdated lines? And what about staging?

But nerds and Shakespeare have always understood each other. So Whedon not only clears these hurdles, he makes it look easy. And that confidence shows in his casting choices. The staging is excellent, the actors make the dialogue seem natural, and chemistry abounds. And fans of Whedon will recognize many of the players on the merry stage.

Of course, “Much Ado About Nothing” revolves around “the merry war” of wits betwixt Benedick (Alexis Denisof) and Beatrice (Amy Acker). Benedick is a determined bachelor, and Beatrice has resolved not to marry until “God make men of some other metal than earth.” Clearly, neither of them have a chance.

Luckily, their friends seem to know both of them better than they know themselves, and conspire to bring Beatrice and Benedick “into a mountain of affection” over the week that they're preparing for the marriage of the much sweeter and romantic Claudio (Franz Kranz, the stoner from “Cabin In The Woods”) and Hero (Jillian Morgese).

But the villainous Don John (Sean Maher, Dr. Simon from “Firefly”) apparently cannot bear so much happiness, and plots to keep Hero and Claudio from marrying by convincing Claudio that Hero is unfaithful. He manages to trick Claudio, who decides to publicly humiliate Hero at their wedding.

This is around the time where things get awkward. After all, what do you do when almost everything about an adaptation is excellent...except for everyone's behavior? Why indicate that Benedick and Beatrice had a one-night stand, yet show a situation where even Hero's father says to her, “these hands shall tear her” if Hero isn't a virgin? Come to think of it, why doesn't Claudio woo Hero himself? And why does he propose marriage so quickly?

This makes an excellent adaptation feel somewhat lazy and contradictory. Certain elements of the play are eternal, and remain the basis for rom-coms today. But the finer details don't fit. Why not just come up with new dialogue? It's a lot to ignore, but I managed to still enjoy myself despite my prejudice against modern stagings, and other filmgoers seemed to have followed suit. I just wish “Much Ado About Nothing” could have made a few more concessions to the new as well as the old.