While watching the two film
versions of Much Ado About Nothing, I
was particularly interested in the differences in the character of Don Jon. In
Joss Whedon’s adaptation, he is portrayed as the villainous character who
occupies the play. In this adaptation, the viewer isn’t being directed to feel
any sympathy for the man who, out of sheer spite/boredom, decides to rip Hero
and Claudio’s worlds apart. Not to mention that Sean Maher kind of looks the
villain role.
In the Shakespeare Retold version of the film, Don Jon’s role is much
different. Don begs our sympathy at first. His wife has left him, he recently
got demoted and he simply cannot seem to win the girl of his dreams. This role,
however, quickly changes. The stalker vibes grow on the viewer as they learn
about his character. Hero’s asking him to stop sending flowers really starts
the ball rolling. This role is solidified as weird as soon as he shows up to
the costume party dressed as an absolutely creepy looking, crying clown (have I
mentioned that I hate clowns? I didn’t realize how much until I watched this
movie).
After I got over the initial
strangeness of his appearance, I wondered why, of all things, he was dressed as
a clown. Clowns are meant to be a form of entertainment. We are supposed to laugh at them. Other members
of the party seem to be dressed according to their roles. Claude and Benedick
are knights and Hero is Marilyn Monroe (someone who went through similar
struggles as the trapped Hero shown at the end of the movie). Don’s place as
someone to be pitied, someone who isn’t taken seriously by anyone in the
workplace mirrors the place of a clown as entertainment. Not to mention, the
creepy killer clowns that inhabit many scary movies are reminiscent of the
villain Don grows into over the course of the movie.
