Much Ado About Nothing

"Romance. Mischief. Seduction. Revenge. Remarkable."

1993 1h 51m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

🔥

90%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

7.3

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 841🍅90%Rotten Tomatoes●80Metacritic★7.3IMDB · 54,656

DramaComedyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In this Shakespearean farce, Hero and her groom-to-be, Claudio, team up with Claudio's commanding officer, Don Pedro, the week before their wedding to hatch a matchmaking scheme. Their targets are sharp-witted duo Benedick and Beatrice -- a tough task indeed, considering their corresponding distaste for love and each other. Meanwhile, meddling Don John plots to ruin the wedding.

“Romance. Mischief. Seduction. Revenge. Remarkable.”

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Cast

Emma Thompson
Beatrice
Kenneth Branagh
Benedick
Kate Beckinsale
Hero
Denzel Washington
Don Pedro
Michael Keaton
Dogberry
Keanu Reeves
Don John
Robert Sean Leonard
Claudio
Richard Briers
Signor Leonato

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kenneth Branagh
Writers: Kenneth Branagh
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

33 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, shot by Roger Lanser. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Patrick Doyle. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Andrew Marcus shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh and Kate Beckinsale carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Romance. Mischief. Seduction. Revenge. Remarkable.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0107616 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kenneth Branagh directs. Roger Lanser behind the camera. Patrick Doyle scores. Andrew Marcus cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

133 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Directed by Kenneth Branagh, shot by Roger Lanser. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Patrick Doyle. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Andrew Marcus shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh and Kate Beckinsale carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Romance. Mischief. Seduction. Revenge. Remarkable.".
8IMDB entry: tt0107616 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 14 themes, including "new love", "rage and hate", "bachelor", "masked ball".
10Released under 10 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Roger Lanser
Original score: Patrick Doyle
Editing: Andrew Marcus
Production design: Tim Harvey
Makeup / hair: Kylie Clarke
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $11,000,000
Box office: $22,600,000
Return: 205% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 80/100
IMDB rating: 7.3/10 · 54,656 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award5 wins & 11 nominations total

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Kenneth Branagh

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

DocTerminus2022-02-06
★ 10/10
For Kenneth Branagh's 4th film he chose to return to The Bard that brought him here. He chose Shakespeare's farcical comedy MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. I knew one thing going in... Shakespeare's comedies are rarely that funny. I knew something better coming out.. I could not have been more wrong. This film is not only funny and sexy, it is a treasure. This is the first Branagh film that he utilizes stunt casting - bringing in Hollywood talent into roles normally filled by Shakespearian actors. And while it isn't always perfect, there is no complaint. In fact Michael Keaton, Keanu Reeves and Denzel Washington shine some bright light toward the American talent pool. Of course, many of Kenneth's 'Shakespeare' friends are still along for the ride - Brian Blessed is amongst my favorites. Branagh's first major achievement with this film is on his screenplay treatment. Like his HENRY V, he has cut the screenplay down to a much more manageable Hollywood film length. It is taut and efficient. Nothing is missing for the casual Shakespeare fan. Of course the obsessed will find - or won't find a lot of stuff. Branagh's second major achievement is shared by others in the cast, especially Emma Thompson. Their handle of the language and poetry of Shakespeare shifts what is often muddy and confusing dialogue to crystal clear and modern understanding. In fact you will find yourself smiling through most of their scenes together as they torture each other until their love takes over. In high school readings of any Shakespeare plays, students often get confused as to the social aspect of the stories... They would question why there is a party and why is everyone in the town celebrating it? Why do battles seem to be fought and won amongst only 10 soldiers? Why does it seem that marriages are performed on the same day that the couple first met? So many questions confuse students and the adults who grow from them. Branagh's most masterful achievement here is in answering these questions. During his HENRY V, Branagh used an incredibly impressive tracking shot through the death and destruction on the field of Agincourt. Just as impressive is the finale of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, including the audience in the celebration moving through the community and finally, up into the sky with a grand view of the love and excitement of all that are alive to experience it. It is obvious that Kenneth Branagh is a major fan of Shakespeare. I would venture to say that he is more than a fan, he is an artistic peer.

Production companies