Much Ado About Nothing to marry his "niece," who is actually Hero in disguise. Another motif is the play on the words "nothing" and "noting", which in Shakespeare's day were near-homophones. Taken literally, the title implies that a great fuss ("much ado") is made of something which is insignificant ("nothing"), such as the unfounded claims of Hero's infidelity and the unfounded claims that Benedick and Beatrice are in love with one another. The title could also be understood as "Much Ado About Noting". Much of the action is in interest in and critique of others, written messages, spying, and eavesdropping. This is mentioned several
Much Ado About Nothing (1993 film) of the humor, the performances, and Branagh's lively direction, of which he wrote, "This film cements Branagh's status as a great director of Shakespeare, and perhaps of film in general, as well." Conversely, Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone" wrote the film a negative review, praising some moments as "invigorating fun", but ultimately calling it "overripe." Most of the negative criticisms focused on particular casting choices, notably Keanu Reeves as Don John, and Michael Keaton as Dogberry. For his performance in the film, Reeves was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor, where he lost to Woody Harrelson