78
Metascore
37 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- Its off-the-cuff nature makes for a film that is not flawless – the music is a bit daft, and some of the acting a little too “large” for the intimate setting – but is, from beginning to end, delightful.
- 90New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinNew York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinThe movie’s singular acting triumph is Nathan Fillion’s Constable Dogberry, one of Shakespeare’s simpler buffoons made poetic by understatement. Fillion speaks softly, with uninflected sincerity, a brilliant departure from the standard gregarious-hambone Dogberry. It’s his insularity — his imperviousness to the interjections of more observant people — that makes him such a touchingly credible clown.
- But Whedon's key coup is in simply directing a very good version of the play. He's got a keen ear for comedy, a no-nonsense approach to ditching the gags that don't work, a deft hand for slapstick and an eagerness to use it.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeMore than most adaptations, this is a film true to Shakespeare's practice of employing all means at hand to keep the crowd entertained.
- 80Village VoiceChris PackhamVillage VoiceChris PackhamWith its interrogations of gender, feminism, and marriage, Shakespeare's comedy is an apt vehicle for Whedon's own storytelling agenda.
- 75Film.comJordan HoffmanFilm.comJordan HoffmanThis tiny friends-and-family production has the vibe of a project done on weekends and after school. That’s no knock. It is vibrant and bubbly and just clever enough to engage people who wouldn’t normally watch a black-and-white micro-budget Shakespeare adaptation without any big movie stars.
- 75McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreMcClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreA winking comedy with dark underpinnings and some of Shakespeare’s most wicked wordplay.
- 60Time OutKeith UhlichTime OutKeith UhlichThe movie feels like too much of a lark. To paraphrase the play’s voice of reason, Friar Francis, it would be better if Whedon paused awhile and let his counsel sway us more.
- 50Slant MagazineChris CabinSlant MagazineChris CabinThe film is nothing without the physicality of the performers, as Joss Whedon's script handles the transition of Shakespeare's language to modern day indifferently.