For the nerd in all of us.

I don't care who you are or how much you profess to hate Shakespeare. Kenneth Branagh's Much Ado About Nothingis made of awesome. If you hate Shakespeare and see this movie and still hate Shakespeare, then...well, then you can continue to hate Shakespeare, but our relationship may become strained for at least a few moments.

Okay, so the opening slow-motion sequence is extremely corny. And the Busby Berkeley-like closing scene is a bit much. But in between, there's so much to like! Kenneth Branagh is utterly charming as Benedick, and Emma Thompson's Beatrice has such a combination of wit and heart that it causes you to write cheesy sentences like this one. Keanu Reeves, who was born to play Ted in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, seems like he's dying to say "Dude!" in most of his scenes, but still, you have to give him credit: unlike Leonardo DiCaprio in Romeo + Juliet, you get the feeling that he at least understands what he's saying.

I love this movie. I love Shakespeare in general, but I'm not just praising him blanketly. Frankly, some of his plays suck (I simply cannot abide The Winter's Tale, for instance). But this is not one of those. This source material is simply wonderful, and this adaptation is, I think, accessible to nearly everyone.

And so I leave you. Adieu: be vigitant, I beseech you!