Much Ado About Nothing

Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Avengers) delivers with a wonderfully clever update of the classic Shakespeare romantic-comedy, making it accessible to a contemporary audience without debasing the material, and delivering an adaptation that stays true to the populist spirit of the piece. Shot in black-and-white over the course of two weeks at the director’s own house with chump change, Whedon’s film maintains the integrity of the Bard’s language without drowning in it. With his cast of regulars obviously having a blast (Firefly alumnus Nathan Fillion damn near steals the show as Dogberry), Whedon’s Much Ado of Nothing is really something. Pageant Theatre. Rated PG-13.