Much Ado About Nothing - Shakespeare Month the Third

Original upload date: 5/1/2014
"I learn in this letter that Don Pedro of Aragon comes this night to Messina..."
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[@Thommy2n]

Funny thing, I remember in an interview Nathan Fillion talking about how uncomfortable he was with it. Even admitting that he barely understood what he was saying. Well, honestly that makes it perfect casting. Cause really, Dogberry has no idea what he's saying either. I mean, unless he actually meant to say to a criminal " Thou wilt be condemned into everlasting redemption for this!"

[@kathleenjackson3258]

About that whole "Shakespeare in the cups" thing - you were right. Joss Whedon said in an interview at one point, something along the lines of 'the reason that they're all so badly behaved is that they're all drunk.' That's a complete paraphrase by the way, I don't remember the exact quote. It was a while ago that I read it. Still, that was the concept.

[@1987MartinT]

You've got a point. Pedro's plan for the masquerade really sounds like something you could only come up with if you were liquored up.

[@Thommy2n]

Amy Acker absolutely nailing it doesn't suprise me in the least. She actually has experience in the classics. In fact when I was young, I saw her perform in a classical theatre group called American Players theatre. It wasn't a Shakespeare play (one of the lesser known dead british playwrights), but in terms of cadence and delivery, right up that ally.

[@chavesa5]

This hits different in the 2020s. Much as I hate to say it though, it does mark an uniquely approachable version of Shakespeare for a neophyte.

[@ECL28E]

It's Always Sunny in Stratford-Upon-Avon

[@rcct44444]

ECL28E I Be Thy Man of Trash

[@mxpronounced3224]

Oh THIS makes so much sense

[@FirstnameLastname-kn5sw]

May I offer you an ovum in this time of tribulation?

[@michellebrowne9100]

I actually decided to watch this when it happened to be on Netflix, and I did find something original in it - this is one of my favorite plays, but most people adapt it as a pretty light work. Whedon's version was really dark and sarcastic, and Benedick and Beatrice came across as genuine within the heart of wealth-based artifice. Anyway, that was my take.

[@Persnikity-yv3nh]

If you don't get how a guy can wind up in a pool with a snorkel and full drink, then you clearly don't go to the kinds of parties I do. Still, great vid!! Love Summer of Shakespeare

[@TimeTravelerJessica]

A discussion of a Joss Whedon work that neither jerks Whedon off or portrays him as worse than Hitler? Yes, yes Kyle, hit me with your even-handed analysis and don't be gentle.

[@kostajovanovic3711]

Do timelines match?

[@WWProductions94]

Thank you for finally articulating the exact reasons why I feel like I’m comfortably snuggled in a big, warm, cozy blanket when I watch this film. I always felt like it was overlooked, and probably for good reasons, but I’m happy to see it appreciated for what it is, rather than torn down for what it isn’t. You have my support on Patreon, my subscription, and my gratitude.

[@cpavlock]

I have to say I've ended up in a pool before with a full drink. You set it down, get in, pick up the glass, and enjoy the water.

[@KittyxGrimm]

Honestly, I'm not only surprised not to see Tom Hiddleston in this movie, but I'm even more surprised not to see James Marsters. It's clear that Whedon has been wanted to work with Marsters again for ages and knowing that he is, in fact, a classically trained actor, I'm amazed he wasn't cast as Benedick.

[@RPG_Angie]

+Kitty Grimm I bet it was mostly scheduling's fault.

[@jessamine6652]

+Kitty Grimm In the commentary Whedon says he wanted those two because he really likes the actors' chemistry so it would actually be more surprising if James Marsters got cast (at one point he describes it as being Fred/Wesley fanfictiion...)

[@RPG_Angie]

Jess Kovacs I see! Thanks for the info ^_^ I think the other Whedonites' time will come with the other Shakespeare adaptations.... At one point (I think it was at Nerd HQ) he said that the next one will probably be Hamlet...

[@jessamine6652]

I do actually really recommend his commentary. Some of it's funny and a lot of it is really interesting

[@SnowAndShinePro]

8:06. Ashley Johnson is that you???? Holy shit that is!

[@ThePa1riot]

8:48 And we love you for it Captain Tightpants. :)

[@ThePa1riot]

13:09 *furiously loud slow clap*

[@katedoes...9783]

I watched this because you recommended it. We even did the drinking game. Had a great night.

[@clairefraser4315]

correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the first "quote" you show lifted from a filmed dtage production of much ado about nothing? not so much of a quote in that case isn't it? Also I really love Clark Greggs delivery of "count, take of me my daughter. .." in this movie. :)

[@DavidMacDowellBlue]

Shakespeare experimented a lot, and I think (given this was a mature play) he knew damn well that Beatrice/Benedick are far more interesting than Claudio/Hero. I'm think maybe Hero is more than a little dim, albeit sweet. BTW there's an interesting novel titled "The Devil's Bride" intended as a sequel to "Much Ado..." which was done as a play this year out here in Los Angeles. Pretty good!

[@VTPPGLVR]

I saw this with a friend of mine and told her the scene where they make sure he overhears them itself was worth the price of admission! X-D

[@literosexual6541]

I LOVE Much Ado About Nothing so much! It's my faveourite Shakespere play even though i dont know anyone who feels the same way 😂😂😂

[@lordwinter1119]

Literosexual it’s my favorite too!

[@terentule]

I am generally not very fond of Shakespeare, but I love Much Ado About Nothing, it's also my favourite.

[@Lily_of_the_Forest]

I love love love Much Ado About Nothing in all forms.

[@elenachristian9860]

Nathan Fillion was brilliant.

[@JackieTheCatfox]

Elena Christian Nathan Fillion is always brilliant.

[@jordangreen9201]

I can't believe James Marsters wasn't in this

[@GriffinPilgrim]

For all that Whedon's friends are often up to do anything for him they're not always available. When they had that Buffy reunion and damn near everyone showed up Anthony Stewart Head simply couldn't make it, being in a play at the tome.

[@rosablackwell64]

YES. THIS.

[@GrainneMhaol]

The Shakespeare Retold update is pretty fantastic.

[@floraposteschild4184]

+Grainne Mhaol Yes! The Retold version is among the very very few adaptations that are as good, or better than the original play. The Taming of the Shrew was pretty fantastic as well. The Macbeth is mediocre (murder for possession of a restaurant. Really?) and A Midsummer Night's Dream is just godawful. I hope Kyle has plans to review them.

[@Laylabelle97]

7:15 Dicaprio and Danes should have studied. But it's more on them not studying rather than the language being easy to understand.

[@tatehildyard5332]

Layla Hellsing To be fair, they both were in their late teens early 20s. The most Shakespeare they had at the time was reading the play in 9th grade English. Most of the English actors who do these productions have had decades of training.

[@eliburry-schnepp6012]

8:04 ASHLEY!?

[@naranara1690]

Saw this in 10th grade English, late 2013. Avengers was still fresh in all our minds, and we just ate up anything else by Whedon.

[@el864]

Please watch Nothing Much To Do! It’s much ado as a web series by a group of New Zealand high school friends on KZbin and I adore it 😭

[@tangally]

gotta love how one of the two "quoted by everyone" clips is from an actual production of the play…

[@faolan1686]

I'm loving this chennle. I'd seen you in a few gest spots on other Chennle Awesome vids, Sage's Evangelion review for example, and decided to see if you had a KZbin chennle. Oh how happy I was to find you did.

[@Shadowman4710]

Ahh yes, the Wes/Fred happy ending "Angel" fans never got...

[@pagano60]

I always thought that Peter Jackson and James Cameron should take a break and make a low-budget film. With Jackson, maybe something set in contemporary New Zealand.

[@Spider1775]

8:40 gets only funnier every time I see it

[@Scorpia161]

You really think Benedick and Beatrice are the B Plot? I kinda got the sense everything else in the play happened to advance their relationships with other characters--maybe it's time for a reread....

[@user-mj4rp9gg3i]

I personally don't think Hero's line is better then Beatrice's. Yes, it's clearly shown how sexist it is, but since the movie still follows the play, this plot is still ridiculous and the ending is still unsympathetic. On other hand, Whedon made Benedic/Beatrice plot more realistic and smart by implying they had relationships before and that's the reasone of their passive agressive attitude, and that really works. I think that plot was updated for modern viewers better and looks better.

[@MortMe0430]

Obviously this is years old by now, and it's not set or staged for film, but I have to recommend the 2019 Shakespeare in the Park production of this play. Those actors make the language sound like it was made for them.

[@InMetropolis]

WHO THE HELL LET THIS EIGHT GRADER ON SET IM FUCKING DYING KYLE

[@SpadePyro]

It's kinda interesting that one of the most distinctive voices in Hollywood is telling a story by one of the most distinctive voices in literature

[@TheBoromirDonkey]

Whedon quotes Shakespeare all the time on Buffy. A lot of Hamlet and Othello.

[@TheBoromirDonkey]

Spike, in particular, gets a lot of really creepy Shakespeare lines.

[@suwaidajalal]

Have you seen the BBC's Shakespeare Re-Told series? Their modern take on this play is one of my favourites to watch. I wish you would review it even to just rip it apart.

[@WarriorMondenkind]

Hey I have been trying to find your review of Kennth Brangh's version of this play, can you or anybody please help me?

[@rusted_ursa]

+WarriorMondenkind He put it up recently. It's actually a review of all of the Shakespeare adaptations that Kenneth Branagh has directed.

[@WarriorMondenkind]

yeah I saw it recently, thanks for the info though!

[@Greycatuk]

Btw Kyle - what do you think of the Reduced Shakespeare Company? Their work's all on KZbin now, I think, but is quite an achievement!

[@Blokewood3]

5:40 "Measured, precise, cadenced Shakespeare?" Not exactly, Much Ado About Nothing is mostly in prose, so the language is considerably more flexible.

[@GenBloodLust]

you know those things you say wouldn't work in the modern day the 3 day wedding prep and the lot would work in some of the modern American south some of the very rural areas

[@SoleMan117]

+GenBloodLust I wouldn't exactly call that "modern-day" though...

[@GenBloodLust]

current day then

[@SamAronow]

Hillbilly Shakespeare! let's do this!

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

Wouldn’t it be cool if they made a jukebox musical, a la All Shook Up, about Much Ado About Nothing set to the early Beatles?

[@R0SE727]

@6:20 “Fran kranz has a voice more suited for bong jokes” wow I am so late to this joke this video is years old at this point so why am I only now realizing that that’s the guy who plays the stoner in Cabin In the Woods

[@robodragonn9506]

oh my god you guys i love this play so much like beatrice is THE BEST. also yes absolutely claudio's kind of a dick tbh. i actually saw this production way back in like 2013 in a movie theatre and i really didn't fully appreciate its strengths then. Thanks, Kyle, for enlightening me. I think I might have to give it a rewatch.

[@mrmadness2699]

Boooo Kyle! I found it charming and nice and accessible and they had a much better Don Jon.

[@zaphero5518]

Seems like he thinks highly of it in some ways.

[@vsilverisisv]

Great vid. I have to say that you did change my mind about this movie overall, though I do think, and this may be controversial, that Keanu Reeves was a better Don Jon than Sean Maher. Yea, he chewed the scenery like nobody's business and some of the lines seem so forced, but at least there was malace in his portrayal. Sean Maher comes across as going for sociopathic and ends up at phoned in boredom.

[@Amy3422]

I love live Shakespeare, but rarely like movie versions. I find they can feel overdone with actors still performing to the back row of a theatre. Onscreen, that stageyness gets distracting. Whedon's Much Ado is an exception, because it's so naturalistic. The actors deliver their lines like normal people in conversation, which draws attention to the story, rather than to the performance. The simple TV approach is something I'd happily see in more movies of plays.

[@wratched]

Your Buffy Speak sounded more like Blackadder.

[@Melvinshermen]

Wow i have Idea to this mush abou about nothing meet down with love

[@FrankAtanassow]

TBH, I think most KZbinrs are channelling Joss Whedon....

[@aadityabhattacharya]

holy shit Root is in this filmb

[@wormswithteeth]

I don't know a singular actor in this film.

[@canadmexi]

If Coulson's in this, shouldn't Thor be in it, too? He does speak like Shakespeare.

[@AkashKumar-iq8wg]

hey this is the one with britannick in it

[@yona4121]

isnt that 8th grader the kid in gladiator lmao

[@KNadoli]

I know this is old, but i disagree with you about Whedon's use of camera. Look at Anne, Restless, Are you Now or are have you ever been? Those WHedon penned eps have some of the best cinematic uses of camerawork ever

[@Gildedtongue]

I guess a third "Everyone" reference could be... Queen's "Show Must Go On"? Though, I mean , "Another Hero" is just two words, so hard to count. Also, this is, like, 7 years old, so, who cares?

[@canadmexi]

Is Castle good? I watched Bones purely for Boreanaz and was bored.

[@csousher]

All of Whedon’s show’s have bad music and he apparently continues this tradition in this movie

[@devinharbert6071]

Review the outsiders

[@susanbooth6793]

As this is my favourite of Shakespeare's comedies (though one of the Histories - Henry IV Part 1 - is even funnier) I have a major problem with this version in that all the wicked wordplay and even the slapstick fails to raise a laugh. I much prefer Branagh's version, though that is, to some extent, dumbed down. And I am damn sure that when this play was originally produced, Benedick and Beatrice were given to the leading actors. The play has always been regarded as theirs, and it is *their reactions* to the Claudio/Hero situation that centers the play. Shakespeare does this, unbounded as he is from a subsequent 500 years of playwriting conventions. Also, one has to remember that this is a play that is titled 'Much Ado About Nothing' where, in Elizabethan slang this can be translated as 'Much Ado About F*cking'.

[@McCammalot]

This is the one that made me swear off this play forever. Theres a limit to how old B&B can be and still behave this foolishly (And I saw the stage version that starred James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave, and managed it better). And for all his progressiveness Whedon just can't stop with how hilarious he finds black women and African hair. (There is a REASON Branaugh dropped the "Ethiop" line, rather than lampshading it badly.) Nathon Fillion was absolutely pitch perfect, though.

[@c.w.r.794]

The Romeo and Juliet review got blocked. 😕

[@KyleKallgrenBHH]

So it was. I've just filed a dispute.

[@juliagoodwin9510]

I would really like to see this movie... if only there weren't those... issues with Joss Whedon. Goddamnit I hate reality...

[@jankarieben1071]

To be fair, Joss isn’t very nice to his cast either. 😬

[@Greycatuk]

Yes. Yes yes yes. I love you. So many people seemed to inexplicably adore this purely because Joss Whedon. I was disappointed enough that I turned off the movie at the Party With Dreadful Music scene, and went to wash my brain out with the Branagh version. At least that knew what it was.

[@rafmeinster]

I don't think you saw the whole video.

[@dannytheman1313]

This is oddly uncomfortable to watch now, no fault of Kyle, or the people involved all the actors all do a fine job, some are clearly better then others but knowing that Whedon is a dick weasel it kind of undermines the whole movie.