What I Watched -- Much Ado About Nothing

I heard ages ago that there was a new version of Much Ado About Nothing (trailer) coming out, but it escaped my brain for a while.  And in much the way the making of this movie was casual and low-budget, the release of the movie seemed to fly pretty much under the radar.  Luckily, my ear caught some info about it and I was able to see it at the Tivoli with P.

Much Ado is possibly my favorite of the Bard's comedies, probably because I've seen it a million times, starting when I was about six.  Accordingly, I had high hopes for this version, and it did not disappoint.

It is not the classic interpretation a la Kenneth Branaugh, but it is well-shot and has a character all its own.  It was produced and directed by Joss Whedon, formerly of such diverse projects as Roseanne, Toy Story, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Dollhouse, The Cabin in the Woods, and The Avengers.  The thread that ties most of his work together is an element of the fantastic - something imaginary or impossible in our world. 

A couple of things I love about Joss Whedon (who recently recorded an enjoyable interview with him on Studio 360, which I listen to as a podcast):

1. He has a sense of humor.

2. He takes Nathan Fillion with him almost everywhere he goes.

3. He made a damn good superhero movie.

About Much Ado in particular, it's an honest adaptation - modern, but not alternate-universe-y like Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet.  There are only one or two small tweaks to the actual text, and probably the weirdest thing for me was that all the actors didn't have British accents like I'm used to from Kenneth Branagh's version. I really liked the casting of Conrad as a woman (played by Riki Lindhome, whom I know from her work as half of the quirky acoustic comedy duo Garfunkel and Oates, but who apparently has done some other small things as well).

Bottom line: loved it.  But I expected to.