'Arthur' - 2011 Movie Review

Remakes are all the rage in Hollywood. The chance to bank on a title that audiences know and remember fondly is too tempting for studios to pass up. The 1980s have been the decade of choice in the last few years when it comes to source material for remakes. "Arthur" is the latest in this line, a remake of the Oscar winning Dudley Moore classic of the same name. There's a little bit of gender swapping for some of the supporting roles but for the most part this tale of a rich drunk has remain largely unchanged.

"Arthur" is the story of the titular heir (played by Russell Brand) to a massive business fortune. Arthur is exceedingly rich, and always has been. Since he's never had to work a day in his life and can afford to do anything he wants to, Arthur lives a rather hedonistic lifestyle. Perpetually drunk, wooing a new woman every night, throwing his money away on whatever strikes his fancy at the moment and generally making a public nuacance of himself. His every whim is indulged by his chaufer Bitterman (Luis Guzman) while his nanny since childhood, Hobson (Helen Mirren,) tries desperately to keep him in line. However his public image is beginning to damage the business that his mother (Geraldine James) has built up, since it's expected that he will one day manage said business. Hoping to retain some dignity as well as shareholders, Arthur's mother gives her son an ultimatum. He must either marry shrewd business Susan (Jennifer Garner) who he is decidedly not attracted to, or be cut off completely. Given his love of his money it seems an easy if unappealing choice, until Arthur meets unlisensed tour guide Naomi (Greta Gerwig) and finds himself falling for her. Now Arthur is torn between the life he loves and the woman he adores.

Ultimately whether or not any given audience member will enjoy "Arthur" is entirely dependent on how they feel about Russell Brand. Brand, like most "hot" comedians, is rather polarizing with most people either loving or hating him. Those who don't like him will find nothing in this film that will change their opinion. For those who enjoy Brand he'll be the highlight of the film, though even for fans this probably isn't going to offer much that they haven't already seen. To Brand's credit he does give Arthur more emotional depth than he showed in his rather deadpan portrayal of Aldus Snow in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "Get Him to the Greek." Even though Brand is stretching his acting skills a little bit with Arthur's emotional arc he's still not stepping outside of his comfort zone and is more or less playing himself. That said his energy, enthusiasm and comic timing brighten up the best parts of the film and give the movie some life.

The parts of "Arthur" that aren't Russell Brand are ultimately what let the film down. The supporting cast is a very mixed bag for starters. First there's Oscar winner Helen Mirren who really isn't given all that much to do as Arthur's nanny, Hobson. She's really just there to be the straight man against Brand's wackiness and to look sternly in his direction from time to time. She does it well enough but the film really could have done more with her. There's some other odd choices, such as Nick Nolte who slurs his way through his role as Susan's self made businessman of a father. Nolte actually comes across as being more drunk than Brand does, though that probably wasn't the intention. Luis Guzman is rather deadpan as Bitterman but it gives a nice contrast to Brand's more manic energy. Jennifer Garner comes off the best of the supporting cast, really commiting to her role. Part of the fun of Susan is that while she obviously cares about getting control of the company she seems to sincerely want to try to make a relationship with Arthur work. It gives the character a nice touch of nuance instead of having her just be a domineering emasculating type, which could have happened easily in the hands of a lazilier actress.

The romantic angle is also a bit of a weak spot. Greta Gerwig is cute enough as the love interest but there's an inherent problem with this entire aspect of the story. The audience is never really given any reason to think that Arthur's infatuation with her is anything more than a passing fling. It's actually made clear by Hobson that he's done this sort of head of heels in love thing before and it hasn't lasted long. The two play off each other well enough but the chemistry is not sufficient to sell the idea that Arthur would jeopardize his fortune for her. The film tries to make it seem like he's also doing it for himself and not just for her that doesn't play any more convincingly. In any given individual scene the pair have a charming banter but all together it just isn't as romantically potent as the film would like it to be.

At the end of it all, for better or worse "Arthur" is undoubtedly a Russell Brand vehicle. Fans of the comedian will find the most things to enjoy about this film, as he is certainly the strongest aspect overall. Anybody who has tired of his antics or never liked him to begin with would do best to steer clear of this particular remake. Fans of the original may also come up disappointed as there isn't much that is done to set this new version apart. However those who enjoy a light-hearted time at the theater could do worse than this harmless romp.

Final Score: 3 out of 5