In their new romantic comedy, Anyone but You, actors Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell are actually adapting one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies, “Much Ado About Nothing.” Anyone but You is a rom-com that follows Bea and Ben, two people that form a somewhat meaningful connection that is quickly and accidentally broken. Later, Bea and Ben reunite when their mutual friends are getting married, and to meet their own ends, they decide to pretend that they are in a relationship. Comedic chaos ensues from there.
It is far from a new idea to create romantic comedy movies that are inspired by or based on the works of Shakespeare. In the 1990s and early 2000s, there were various rom-com movies that used Shakespeare as their source material. Some of the most popular include 10 Things I Hate About You, which adapts “The Taming of the Shrew,” and She’s the Man, which is a modern retelling of “Twelfth Night.” Furthermore, Shakespeare is not the only classic writer to have his stories adapted for the modern day. The iconic Alicia Silverstone film, Clueless, is an adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Emma.”
Anyone But You Is Loosely Inspired By William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing
The most recent example of a modern movie retelling of a Shakespeare story is Anyone but You, which adapts Shakespeare’s comedy, “Much Ado About Nothing.” The main aspect of the story which the movie brings to life is the plotline between Shakespeare’s characters Benedick and Beatrice. Although the two seem to dislike each other, constantly bantering and insulting each other, it is clear that their dislike actually holds a much deeper and different feeling. Over the course of the play, the other characters try to get Benedick and Beatrice to be together, until eventually, they finally confess their love for each other.
Anyone but You is not the first movie to adapt “Much Ado About Nothing.” The first on-screen English adaptation of the play was a very literal retelling set in Shakespearan times, entitled Much Ado About Nothing, and released in 1993. Real-life husband and wife, Kenneth Branaugh and Emma Thompson, played Benedick and Beatrice respectively. In 2011, Joss Whedon directed a second direct adaptation in a modern, Italian mob setting, starring Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker. The other major on-screen version of the play was the filmed 2011 performance at the Globe, notably starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate as Benedick and Beatrice.
How Anyone But You References Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing
In general, Anyone but You is a fairly loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” The most obvious connection is the Benedick and Beatrice plotline. Ben and Bea trace the same general course as Benedick and Beatrice do, starting off as enemies of a sort, sharing witty and aggressive banter, before their peers try to bring them together, and ultimately, they do admit their feelings to each other at the end of Anyone but You. Furthermore, Anyone but You emphasizes the main themes of the Shakespeare play, which are trickery and secrets. Throughout the film, information is skewed and utilized for individuals’ unique motives.
The most obvious connection between Anyone but You and “Much Ado About Nothing” is the names of Anyone but You’s cast. Benedick and Ben are obviously connected, while Beatrice and Bea are the same. There is also a direct connection between Claudia and Halle, who are the brides of the movie, and Claudius and Hero of the play, who are also betrothed to be wed. Although many of the events of the movie are quite different from the play, the ultimate goals and themes are the same. Anyone but You uses a modern day setting to portray an ages-old story.
How Anyone But You Is Different From Much Ado About Nothing
What Anyone but You fails to adapt from “Much Ado About Nothing” is the play’s second main plot between characters Claudius and Hero. Claudius has been in love with Hero since before he went to war, and now that he has returned, he intends to marry her. However, his plans are halted when Don John creates a scheme to make Claudius think that Hero has been disloyal to him by sleeping with another man. Ultimately, Halle and Claudia’s marriage is something of a Claudius and Hero insert, however, Anyone but You does dive nearly as deeply into their story as it does the story between Ben and Bea.
