"Much Ado About Nothing"

"Much Ado About Nothing" was our choice for tonight's date night viewing. We missed it when it was in the theaters and I actually had mixed feelings about whether I wanted to see it or not. What a fun movie -- full of dirty tricks, betrayals, love gone wrong, and humor. The cast is marvelous - Kenneth Branagh (also director), Michael Keaton (plays an "ass" very well!), Robert Sean Leonard, Keanu Reeves (does a great job of portraying an evil half brother to the prince -- a dark role for him), Emma Thompson (always a pleasure to see in any role and she brings incredible life to this role in which her character and Branagh's character spend a lot of time sparring with words.), and last, but not least, Denzel Washington. Denzel says this was the first role he had considered since Malcolm X. This is also the movie that introduced Kate Beckinsale and she is the perfect choice for her character. Richard Briers (from the British TV series, "Good Neighbors") is cast in the role of Kate's father and I love him in this role. Brian Blessed portrays her uncle. There were more familiar faces that I'm sure I've seen in other movies or series that rounded out the cast and I wish I knew their names so I could give them credit, too. The music and dancing are also fun.

My grandmother inherited a huge volume of Shakespeare from a Scottish friend and I would try to read it when I was younger but never made it very far. I wish I had it now but I suspect I'd still not find it as entertaining as Branagh's version of "Much Ado About Nothing." I suggest you give this movie a try -- nothing to lose and, if you like it as well as I did, a lot to gain!

pazt