Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing is a 1993 adaptation of William Shakespeare's comedy, set in a sunlit Sicilian villa where soldiers have returned from war. Claudio and Hero plan to marry within the week, and their friends arrange a scheme to push the bickering Benedick and Beatrice toward each other, despite their mutual scorn for love. Meanwhile, Don John, the resentful half-brother of Prince Don Pedro, works to sabotage the wedding.

Kenneth Branagh directed and wrote the screenplay, and also stars as Benedick opposite Emma Thompson as Beatrice; the two had previously worked together. The cast includes Kate Beckinsale as Hero, Denzel Washington as Don Pedro, Keanu Reeves as Don John and Michael Keaton as Dogberry. It was Branagh's fifth film as director, following Swan Song and preceding Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. On a budget of 11 million dollars, the film took about 23 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it rates 7.3 from 55,000 votes, on TMDB 7 out of 10 from 839 votes, and critics gave it 7.5 from 50 reviews.