Much Ado About Nothing

Delivery Time: 7 to 15 Working Days Format: DVD

Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh, Denzel Washington. Branagh's vibrant adaptation of the lighthearted Shakespeare comedy has an award-winning cast and lots of belly laughs. 1993/color/110 min/PG-13/widescreen.
Kenneth Branagh's 1993 production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing is a vigorous and imaginative work, cheerful and accessible for everyone. Largely the story of Benedick (Branagh) and Beatrice (Emma Thompson)--adversaries who come to believe each is trying to woo the other--the film veers from arched wit to ironic romps, and the two leads don't mind looking a little silly at times. But the plot is also layered with darker matters that concern the ease with which men and women fall into mutual distrust. Branagh has rounded up a mixed cast of stage vets and Hollywood stars, among the latter Denzel Washington and Michael Keaton, the latter playing a rather seedy, Beetlejuice-like version of Dogberry, king of malapropisms. --Tom Keogh