Much Ado About Nothing (2011)

• Year: 2011
• Released: N/A
• Country: United Kingdom
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5569310/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/much_ado_about_nothing
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/much-ado-about-nothing
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• Genre: Comedy, Romance
• Runtime: 161 min
• Writer: William Shakespeare
• Director: Robert Delamere
• Cast: Tom Bateman, Alex Beckett, Jonathan Coy
• Keywords: woman director, shakespeare in modern dress, shakespeare, filmed play,

8.5/10

Much Ado About Nothing Storyline

Young lovers Hero and Claudio, soon to wed, conspire to get verbal sparring partners and confirmed singles Benedick and Beatrice to wed as well.

Much Ado About Nothing Play trailer

Much Ado About Nothing Photos

Much Ado About Nothing Torrents Download

Much Ado About Nothing Subtitles Download

Much Ado About Nothing Movie Reviews

Some truly great performances within but a couple nit-picks…

Most of us know the story. It’s wonderful and witty even without the powerhouse of Tennant and Tate in the main roles. They are truly magnificent and bring the sparring characters of Benedick and Beatrice to life beautifully. Tate’s character acting adds another level of comedy which is rarely seen, however as much as I thoroughly enjoy Tate’s comedic talents, I think there were some areas of this play where her role could have used a touch more brevity than was obviously directed. There is history between Beatrice and Benedick and while I personally know the play backwards, a newcomer for whom this may be their first experience would not necessarily pick it up and may actually question why these two might bother getting together at all.

I do have to agree with another review of this particular production, however. The direction for some areas was definitely questionable. It could have definitely done without Tate being suspended from a rope while she listens to Hero and Ursula talking up Benedick. It wasn’t necessary and I think had it been treated in the same hilarious way that Tennant’s scene as he listens in on the conversation between Claudio, the prince and Leonato, it would have been far more effective. Same again for the scene after Hero has been declared unfaithful and Benedick professes his love to Beatrice. She was just in tears and then shifts the scene into hysterics. It was overdone and jarring, though Tate does pull it right back when Beatrice unleashes her anger on Benedick at his initial refusal to kill Claudio, which is superb.

One bit of direction I loved with the production was Adam James’ treatment of Don Pedro’s affection toward Beatrice. This was new for me as it’s never really been emphasised in the productions I have seen, and I did enjoy the new angle this gave the character of the prince. Lovesick for Beatrice but ultimately not to have her – even at the end we see him a little sad he missed out specifically on Beatrice and was not necessarily in want of just anyone to wife as Benedick advises.

I WISH this would be released on DVD so I could keep a copy of it. Sadly it is only available (at the time of writing) for digital download. It’s definitely worth seeking and watching. It’s swiftly become my favourite production.

Well worth sighing for

Ever since having fond memories of studying it in school, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ became one of my favourites of Shakespeare’s plays. Love everything about it, though it is very difficult to make Hero and Claudio interesting, because there is so much fun and charm, particularly great characters in Beatrice and Benedick, a story that never lets up on the entertainment value and Shakespeare’s text is some of his loveliest and most amusing.

Did have initial doubts before seeing this production of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. Not with David Tennant, who is no stranger to Shakespeare and has a real understanding of his style and characters, evident in his very memorable interpretations of Hamlet and Richard II (both for the Royal Shakespeare Company). But namely because of seeing ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ in modern dress, before reminding myself that there are many effective non-traditional Shakespeare productions, and whether Catherine Tate would be well suited to Beatrice. Seeing it, this was a very pleasant surprise and a very good production, a few staging missteps but with wonderful performances.

Visually the production was a lot more appealing and less distracting than expected. Really did think that setting the action in 1980s Gibraltar would not work and would jar with the words and have seen too many updated productions of opera and theatre where the costumes especially look cheap and too much of a mish-mash. The setting actually was quite striking with very effective use of the pillars. The costumes are also very vibrant without being cheap and fit the 80s setting authentically. The music is also effective and fits the setting just as well without being constant or overbearing. There is some nice photography too that is intimate enough while also opening up the action just about enough.

Josie Rourke on the most part does a very confident directing job, everything moves along at a cracking pace and there is nothing here that affects any cohesion. The staging especially shines in the comedic moments, of which there are plenty of in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, comedic moments are that crackle and sparkle in wit and don’t feel overplayed or strained. Underneath all the comedy, there is also a big amount of heart and affectingly done without again being too overwrought (apart from one point).

All the performances pretty much are wonderful, with the high point being Tennant as Benedick. On top of being very funny, he is also arrogant yet also loyal and believable too in Benedick’s want for justice later on. Apart from one scene, Tate excels and provides a shrewish and witty Beatrice while also giving her heart. Their chemistry absolutely scintillates, both absolutely relishing the verbal sparring. Adam James’ Don Pedro is another standout, benevolent, noble and at times scheming (though never in a malicious sense). Sarah McRae’s Hero is radiant and Tom Bateman manages the very difficult feat of making Claudio interesting and likeable. Elliot Levey is a subtly sinister Don John and the Night Watch are not too overacted.

Not everything is perfect. While liking the direction on the whole, a few touches are very overdone and completely out of place, one also being very randomly introduced. Ones that have been mentioned already, also didn’t see the point to the gender swapping in the masque scene.

While Tate is hugely impressive as Beatrice on the whole as said, she doesn’t quite work in her big dramatic scene with Tennant. Her emotions here became too histrionic.

Overall, very good and worth sighing for. 8/10

Excellent in Every Aspect

I absolutely love Much Ado About Nothing, it is one of my favorite Shakespeare works, and this cast does it so well. Both David Tennant and Catherine Tate play their parts perfectly. They bring great cynicism and sarcasm, over the top humor, and some very touching moments, all in one package. David and Catherine not only do this well individually, but even more so when they play off of each other. While the two are clearly the stars of the show, the other actors definitely don’t disappoint. I’m particularly fond of Elliot Levey as Don John. He does a great job of bringing that character’s mischievous qualities to life. Modern clothing and some creative diversions from the script might not please some Shakespeare fans, but I personally found it to really add to the humor of the show. All of my favorite scenes are so much more entertaining because of what happens off script. I definitely recommend purchasing this from Digital Theatre.