Kenneth Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing

Pulling himself out of the morass of failure, Branagh struck gold with this 1993 production of Much Ado About Nothing. With an all-star cast including Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton, and Keanu Reeves, as well as his sometime wife Emma Thompson, Branagh presents a comedy that has the audience laughing in all the right places and sobering up for more serious scenes.

Branagh plays Benedick to Emma Thompson's Beatrice, who is occasionally called "cursed and shrewish" (sound familiar?). Swearing to die a bachelor, Benedick and Beatrice engage in a battle of wits while being manipulated by the rest of the cast into thinking that the other is dying of love for them. Hilarity ensues as the avowed singles fall head-over heels in love.

On the less humorous side, Claudio and Hero try to find marital bliss, but must first overcome the scheming of the villainous Don John (Keanu Reeves), brother to the prince.

At the end, everyone is happy: the bad guys are suitably punished, Hero and Claudio are free to wed, and Benedick and Beatrice discover their manipulation--but don't really care.

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