Arthur

I used to despise Russell Brand in every movie he was in, but he’s grown on me a bit. Arthur is a remake of the 1981 film about a spoiled adult millionaire who does whatever he wants and has never-ending moolah. Movies with rich idiots always have potential because of the ridiculous things they buy. Brand’s character has movie replica cars (Batmobile, Delorean), a magnetic bed, move theater, etc. Even if the jokes aren’t funny that stuff provides laughs of their own. The jokes do prove to be funny though.

Beyond the general concept, Arthur is told to marry a promising young socialite (Jennifer Garner) for the future stability of his mother’s company. If he doesn’t marry her then he loses access to the family’s money. Soon after this news he falls for a simple city girl who has no money and is still happy. This is not a very original storyline. Arthur’s struggles with alcoholism however, are portrayed with more realism than one would expect from such a comedy. Then again, Helen Mirren signed on to the film so it obviously has some substance, pun intended.

Mirren’s performance as Hobson is witty and genuine. Her ability to contradict Brand while still having chemistry with him is a testament to her ability to layer a performance. Brand is not at that level, but not many actors are. His dynamic performance is one of his best, coming across as an actual person, even if the situation isn’t plausible. Speaking of implausible, Greta Gerwig is never able to portray the likeability that is supposed to accompany her character. Instead she just seems like a bimbo who falls for Arthur for no apparent reason. And the love-hate relationship between the two becomes repetitive after awhile. Luckily she has no presence in the film’s first act and Brand has become a more than adequate lead actor. Now, Luis Guzman portrays a bimbo too, but that’s just funny. (8.1 out of 10)