Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Kidskycom It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Charles Herold (cherold) I notice a lot of the most negative reviews of this movie are from hardcore Shakespeare buffs, so I'll start by noting that I am not one of those. Shakespeare is challenging to understand and this particularly play has some serious issues with it, and I watch Shakespeare adaptations in part just to see how people repackage the Bard and try to deal with the complexity of the language. So for me, a black and white, modernized version of Much Ado About Nothing with a millennial vibe is appealing.The movie does a good job with the dialogue, with actors speaking in a reasonably conversational tone that avoids "I AM ACTING Shakespeare" pitfalls. The cast is uniformly excellent, but I found Amy Ackerling and Nathan Fillion particularly effective. And while, as usual, I sometimes lost the thread of individual sentences, overall it's a very witty play, even if it has a plot that was probably absurd even at the time.I will say that overall I'd give the edge the Kenneth Branaugh Emma Thompson movie version. As likable as the cast in this one is, the talent of the leads in the earlier version has an electrifying quality lacking here. But it's definitely worth watching.

Dan Franzen (dfranzen70) A little more than halfway through Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing, our anti-heroine Beatrice and our anti-hero Benedick profess their love for each other. It's a tender, affecting moment that neatly offsets the humor of the rest of the film. It's such a beautiful scene, in fact, that I grew misty eyed and euphoric, and that's how Shakespeare movies and plays are supposed to make you feel.Elegant without being condescending, Whedon's modern-day take on the classic comedy of errors is a masterpiece. In short, Don Pedro, his right-hand man Claudio, and his brother Don John visit a noble named Leonato. Leonato has a daughter named Hero, with whom Claudio quickly becomes infatuated. Don Pedro offers to woo Hero at the evening's costume party, whereupon he will "give" the young lady (with papa's permission) to Claudio. Simple subterfuge, but all is revealed to Hero, and all is well. Until the villainous Don John gets involved, that is, and a major misunderstanding tears the couple apart.While all of this is going on, Claudio's best pal Benedick - an avowed bachelor who scorns marriage - spars verbally with Hero's cousin Beatrice, who is equally adamant on the topic of marriage. This being Shakespeare, I think we have a good idea where these two are headed. Oh, and along for the more-obvious comic relief (as opposed to the more cultured banter between Beatrice and Benedick) is the local night watchmen, overseen by Dogberry, a man who would have trouble detecting his own behind with both hands. I'm digressing, but you get the idea.I won't go too much deeper into the plot, because most viewers probably had to read the play in high school or college. Since it's a comedy, suffice to say that all's well that ends well. But the performances! Many of the players had worked with Whedon on earlier projects such as Angel, Buffy, Castle, Firefly, and The Avengers and may be familiar by look if not by name. Nathan Fillion, the able captain of the good ship Firefly, is well cast as the clueless Dogberry (in one memorable ad-libbed scene, Dogberry and his assistant realize they've locked their keys in their car and frantically search their pockets). Clark Gregg, Agent Coulson to you, plays Leonato. But the entire cast stands out. This is a real triumph of talent, expertly shot (at Whedon's own house) and acted with such audacity and tenaciousness.

odb85 I love this play, and have seen many versions. I was even in a production in New Jersey.This is an unimpressive version of a great story, and the great moments come from the "writing"as the kids are saying nowadays. The leads may not be terrible actors, but they sure failed to move me here. Even Dogberry was pretty blah and that character can really uplift a failed production. Amongst an uninspiring cast, Don Pedro's character was the best of the bunch. I didn't mind listening to him at all. Even his moments with Claudio and Beatrice were bearable. The music was okay. There were some interesting staging choices, but that doesn't make this worth watching.I really can't get behind this film, and would recommend going to the theatre, or renting the other film versions.

Red_Identity The only other Shakespearian adaptation I've ever seen is Coriolanus, and it was a bit tough to follow. I was hesitant about this for that reason, but after about the first 10 minutes I was constantly riveted and entertained. The story, the characters, the cast are endlessly charming and the story never falters or lets go. Amy Acker is just fantastic in this, and many supporting players do great things. Nathian Fillion, in particular, steals his scenes in just the short screen time he has. It helps that I was so entertained because I didn't know the story. It's a wonder how much Joss Whedon does with such a limited amount of resources. This is truly one of the best films of 2013.