Much Ado About Nothing (2013)

It's a testament to Joss Whedon's flexibility that, while on break from The Avengers (2012), he created the antithesis to that box office behemoth. In just two weeks he assembled a slew of actors from his past shows and films, tweaked a well-loved William Shakespeare play and shot it in crisp black-and-white. The result is Much Ado About Nothing (2013), an enjoyably off-beat take on Shakespeare's best comedy.

Returned from "the wars," Don Pedro (Reed Diamond), Claudio (Fran Kranz) and Benedict (Alexis Denisof) visit the home of local Duke Leonato (Clark Gregg). Claudio instantly grows smitten with beautiful Hero (Jillian Morgese) while Benedict resumes a long-running feud with Beatrice (Amy Acker) - a feud which masks deep-seated affection. While friends and family connive to unite the feuding couple, Pedro's brother Don John (Sean Maher) has more malign plans. Along with partners Borachio (Spencer Treat Clark) and Conrade (Riki Lindhorne), he schemes to separate Claudio and Hero. Things go awry, relying on bumbling Constable Dogberry (Nathan Fillion) to set things right.

This blogger always found Much Ado easier-going than Shakespeare's other comedies. It lacks the overdone plot of Twelfth Night, the implausibility of Merchant of Venice, the repulsive sexual politics of Taming of the Shrew. The story's pretty flimsy but Shakespeare's witty lovers Beatrice and Benedict mouth some of the English language's best comic writing. Kenneth Branagh's splashy 1993 version holds up well, despite some egregious stunt casting (Michael Keaton and Keanu Reeves?); it's hard to imagine a better screen couple than Branagh and Emma Thompson. 

Whedon conjures a straight modern dress adaptation, with modern affectations that emphasize the story's ridiculousness. Dogberry comes on like a sad, RayBan-wearing Dirty Harry wannabe, viciously interrogating Borachio and Conrade like serial killers. Benedict ponders the horrors of marriage while sitting next to a dollhouse; Beatrice trips over her laundry while overhearing her maids' conversation. Yet Whedon smartly allows the text, and more importantly the cast, to carry the show. He's helped by Jay Hunter's unfussy black and white photography, with only a few flourishes (flashbacks, a dreamlike masquerade ball) to fill in story gaps.

Practically every actor's a veteran of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dollhouse or The Avengers. Alexis Denisof dives whole hog into Benedict, whether mouthing Shakespeare's "oyster" soliloquy or performing push-ups for a bemused Beatrice. Amy Acker proves equally appealing, dispatching her barbs with wit and self-possession. Jillian Morgese makes a likeable Hero while Reed Diamond and Frank Kranz have fun with characters usually played as wet blankets. As Don John, Sean Maher at least purges memories of Keanu Reeves's dude-tastic turn. Clark Gregg overdoes Leonato's mugging, but he's such an agreeable presence it seems mean to criticize.

Much Ado About Nothing is a refreshing experience. In this summer's sea of sequels, superheroes and general junk, it provides a beacon of wit for those demanding more than explosions.