Much Ado About Nothing

Joss Whedon shoots the Bard’s play like an episode of Desperate Housewives in the first great contemporary Shakespeare since Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet.

Joss Whedon’s impact on youth culture is already hard to overestimate. Now he’s made the first great contemporary Shakespeare since Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet. Not that it’s just for the kids – the Globe crowd, too, should extend this warm embrace.

The concept is not so incongruous: Whedon is one of the few blockbuster film-makers who also has a semi-rep acting company. Small-name regulars from Buffy, Angel and Firefly reel off blank verse in the director’s own LA mansion (the open-plan architecture makes for easy eavesdropping, as well as minimal budget). He shoots the play like an episode of Desperate Housewives – an especially farcical one, in black and white, without an eye on the ad breaks, and with a script by Shaky.

A distracting lounge remix of Sigh No More, Ladies aside (check out the hip-hop "nonny-nonnys"), it couldn’t be a better match. Arch innovations such as checking smartphones for lists of returning soldiers rarely jar or feel gimmicky. There are lovely touches barely related to the makeover: Benedick and Claudio must bunk down in a young girl’s bedroom, all stuffed toys and Barbie hardware. There’s a smoky jazz soundtrack, big on bass, sounding for all the world like an extended Seinfeld sting, which helps keep things perky.

But Whedon’s key coup is in simply directing a very good version of the play. He’s got a keen ear for comedy, a no-nonsense approach to ditching the gags that don’t work, a deft hand for slapstick and an eagerness to use it. Just as with this summer’s surprise smash (The Avengers), he assembled a crack squad of a cast, then dispatched them with purpose. The vain-glory and the self-delusion of his leads is beautifully done by both Alexis Denisof (Benedick) and Amy Acker (Beatrice); Whedon adds a one-night stand flashback that lends strange credence to their bruised egos and prickly banter.

Much Ado may be a bit of a B+ staple on the Shakespeare circuit, but Whedon – as well as improving student grades the world over – makes it feel second to none.