Having survived Keanu Reeves in Much Ado About Nothing , Emma could easily teach these kids a thing or two about showing-down Hollywood royalty. She's sexy and sharp, which is no small accomplishment these days, and could have buoyed this movie on the strength of her foxy wit alone. Alas, Emma has retreated to cold England, and we are left with these vapid proxies who yell so that they may not act. What the movie lacks in smarts in tries to make up with foliage. I don't think I've ever seen so much green in a movie.
Every frame is stuffed with fronds or ferns .
And of course, no one has allergies. The production design, by Luciana Arrighi, is unmistakably lush, but it's not inspired. It is what we have come to expect from a Shakespearean comedy. A Midsummer Night's Dream is too conservative in its visual interpretation to shake us up. In the end, all the leafy greens in the world can't hide the lack of energy that ultimately weighs the movie down.