MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is a virtual feast for the eyes and ears. From the beautiful Tuscany landscapes and wonderful music score to the great performances of Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson and Denzel Washington, this film's high energy and good spirits will effortlessly sweep you off your feet. For close to an hour this movie can do no wrong and has some great visual and comedic moments. It is around this time however, that we are unfortunately introduced to the character of the constable played by Michael Keaton. His scenes in the middle third of the movie seem quite incongruous with the rest of the film. Every word out of his mouth is virtually unintelligible. To make things worse, his performance is so `Pythoneseque' and over-the-top that it actually feels like slow torture watching it. Its as if Beetlejuice had suddenly invaded the movie. Director Branagh's mistake was not in casting Keaton in the role, but in having him play the character as he did.
The Film happily does rebound in its last twenty minutes and concludes in a moving and joyfully uplifting celebration that is extremely well choreographed. This last sequence consists of one long, continuous tracking shot which is truly amazing. The camera starts at ground level and weaves in and out of courtyards, buildings and dancing revelers to end up not only a good city block from where it started but what actually seems to be ten stories high looking down on the proceedings with a gods eye view. It is a fantastic end to a flawed but extremely entertaining movie. I recommend it to all lovers of not only Shakespeare, but of feel good' movies as well. Had it not been for Keaton's sour note performance, I would have given the film an 8. As it is, a 7 out of 10 will have to suffice.
The Film happily does rebound in its last twenty minutes and concludes in a moving and joyfully uplifting celebration that is extremely well choreographed. This last sequence consists of one long, continuous tracking shot which is truly amazing. The camera starts at ground level and weaves in and out of courtyards, buildings and dancing revelers to end up not only a good city block from where it started but what actually seems to be ten stories high looking down on the proceedings with a gods eye view. It is a fantastic end to a flawed but extremely entertaining movie. I recommend it to all lovers of not only Shakespeare, but of feel good' movies as well. Had it not been for Keaton's sour note performance, I would have given the film an 8. As it is, a 7 out of 10 will have to suffice.