Review Roundup: Joss Whedon's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

Joss Whedon's film Much Ado About Nothing gets a limited release today via Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate, followed by a wider release on June 21, 2013. The movie premiered this fall at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Whedon's adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing is a modern version of Shakespeare's classic comedy, the movie was filmed in just 12 days entirely on location in Santa Monica and features a combined cast of Shakespeare vets and others completely new to the form.

Shot in black and white by Jay Hunter (PAPER HEART, "Dollhouse"), the film stars Amy Acker (CABIN IN THE WOODS, "Alias") and Alexis Denisof ("How I Met Your Mother", "Angel") as Beatrice and Benedick, the world's least likely lovers headed for their inevitable tumble into love.

The film was produced by Whedon, line-produced by Nathan Kelly and M. Elizabeth Hughes, and co-produced by Kai Cole and Danny Kaminsky. Whedon most recently directed Marvel's hugely successful film The Avengers. He has also helmed Firefly, Serenity, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and many more.

Let's see what the critics have to say:

A.O. Scott, New York Times: Joss Whedon's adaptation of "Much Ado About Nothing" - perhaps the liveliest and most purely delightful movie I have seen so far this year - draws out the essential screwball nature of Shakespeare's comedy. It may be the martini-toned black-and-white cinematography, the soigné Southern California setting, or the combative courtship of Amy Acker's angular, sharp-tongued Beatrice and Alexis Denisof's grouchy, hangdog Benedick, but from its very first scenes, Mr. Whedon's film crackles with a busy, slightly wayward energy that recalls the classic romantic sparring of the studio era.

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: Joss Whedon's fresh and cheeky adaptation of "Much Ado About Nothing" is a minor miracle - the first filmed Shakespeare comedy in decades that's actually funny. Shot on a shoestring budget in 12 days at "The Avengers" director's mansion in Santa Monica with a bunch of TV actors, this unabashed crowd-pleaser is the anthesis of the star-filled but leaden Bard comedies wrought by Whedon's Marvel teammate Kenneth Branagh

Kenneth Turan, LA Times: Think of it as a single scoop of sorbet: Joss Whedon's "Much Ado About Nothing" is both a palate cleanser for the director and a small but savory treat for Shakespeare-starved audiences.

Jack Coyle, Huffington Post: Joss Whedon's bare-bones "Much Ado About Nothing" is the cinematic equivalent of Shakespeare in the parking lot - and proof, again, that it doesn't take much doing to bring Shakespeare to life...Whedon can write some of the best banter around, so it's not surprising he feels a connection to Shakespeare's "merry war" of wit.

Claudia Puig, USA Today: Much Ado About Nothing is a delightfully spirited romp, filled with visual splendor, strong performances and flashes of post-modern absurdity. Director Joss Whedon has fashioned a sparkling modern take on William Shakespeare's classic comedy , making the smart decision to shoot it in black-and-white in his 1920s Mediterranean-style Southern California home.

Jason Michelitch,Wired.com : Closely adapted from the Shakespeare play, Much Ado offers little opportunity for Whedon to rely on his well-known facility for clever dialogue or shocking plot twists; the text forces him to act as a director and not a screenwriter with a camera.

Image: Roadside Attractions

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