This Tuscan luvvy love-in seems like the blueprint for Blair's
Britain. Branagh's attempt to establish friendly relations between
the Brits and Yanks made Shakespeare media-friendly and provided a
wonderful outing for Thompson's talents as Beatrice, man-hater with a
heart of gold. The play's uneven comedy is not helped by Branagh's
casting of the weakest links in the weakest parts: Keaton suffers
terribly as village boor Dogberry, and Reeves' Don John is an ad for
leather pants but little else. Beckinsale and Robert Sean Leonard are
saccharine as young lovers Hero and Claudio, allowing the
Branagh/Thompson double act to really shine.
