Much Ado About Nothing is a 2012 American independent romantic comedy written, produced, and directed by Joss Whedon. It is based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name. It was filmed in black and white at Whedon's home in California over a period of 12 days. The cast and crew were informed to keep the project a secret until production was finished. Whedon explained his initial interest in the project, saying: "I fixated on this notion that our ideas of romantic love are created for us by the society around us.…It's a very cynical, romantic text about love, and how we behave, and how we're expected to behave. It's a party, but there's something darker there as well."
Much Ado About Nothing has received generally positive reviews from critics, earning a 79% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. John DeFore of 'The Hollywood Reporter' said: "More than most adaptations, this is a film true to Shakespeare's practice of employing all means at hand to keep the crowd entertained". A.O. Scott of the 'New York Times' said the film was, "perhaps the liveliest and most purely delightful movie I have seen so far this year" and that it, "draws out the essential screwball nature of Shakespeare's comedy". He added: "Whedon's film crackles with a busy, slightly wayward energy that recalls the classic romantic sparring of the studio era."
