Much Ado About Nothing - B

Rated PG-13, 110 minutes

Whedon's version of "Much Ado About Nothing" a wistful, well-acted garden party

Shakespeare has open been open to new interpretations, and Joss Whedon's version of Shakespeare's comedy "Much Ado About Nothing" is no exception, though the concept of love is still very much the driving force. The low-budget, independent and cerebral comedy, directed by Whedon and shot in black and white with a contemporary background with the original language intact, is still amusing, well-acted relevant, with a few new twists. Essentially, the movie/play concerns a two sets of lovers, the older, Beatrice (Amy Acker) and Benedick (Alexis Denisof), and the younger, Claudio (Fran Kanz) and Hero (Jillian Morgese), whose love could be helped, or hurt, by their colleagues and/friends Leonato (Clark Gregg), Dogberry (Nathan Fillion), Don Pedro (Reed Diamond) and the scheming Don Juan (Sean Maher). Lighthearted, fun yet very touching, "Much Ado About Nothing" is a skillful adaptation by none other than Joss Whedon, of last year's mega hit "The Avengers" but also the guy behind "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog." Sure, an interesting choice, but it's a remarkably sensitive, restrained version, elegantly shot in black-and-white (which adds nice texture to the film) at Whedon's home and also featuring a smooth, jazzy score from Whedon himself. "Much Ado About Nothing," with nice performances from a mostly unknown cast of TV actors, most memorable Acker and Denisof as Beatrice and Benedick, is a well-acted, wistful garden party that still says that love will prevail regardless of what others think about them. Worth a look and a nice, pleasant job from Whedon.

Wes's Grade: B