Arthur Review

From the desk of my good friend and colleague, Andrew Phillips, we have a review of the 2011 remake of Arthur....

Well, it’s spring. You know what that means: We’re between the serious movies of the fall/winter leading up to the Oscars and the action, explosion, “Directed by Michael Bay”, blow-‘em-up-real-good, blockbusters of summer. With spring comes another set of romantic comedies. Enter Arthur, the remake of a movie by the same way from the 1970s following the misadventures of billion-dollar heir Arthur Bach.

Arthur (Russell Brand) has what most people in my demographic would envy: more money than he knows what to do with, enough…female companionship… to make Hugh Hefner or Gene Simmons jealous, and probably the sweetest feature of all-time: a magnetically driven floating bed. The movie revolves around Arthur’s life choice: Does he marry the gorgeous-yet-unbearable Susan (played by Jennifer Garner) in order to keep his millions, or does he give it all up for a tour guide, Naomi (played by Great Gerwig).

Now, the men reading this review just closed the page with an air of “To Hell With That!” BUT WAIT! This is actually a movie guys are going to want to see. More on that in a moment.

Arthur’s frequent partying has earned the ire of his mother, and he’s about to be cut off from his money. He’s grappling with the decision to join the real world, but has no life skills. Enter his nanny and best friend, Hobson (played by Helen Mirren). Hobson is practically a mother to Arthur, and the true comedy of the movie is how they interact. Forget Arthur’s womanizing and partying, it’s how the two take shots at each other. [For kids with sarcastic parents, it feels like you’re standing in your kitchen verbally sparring with your folks.] Now, without giving too much away, the relationship really defines Arthur by the end of movie, as he finally gets the push he needs to grow up.

Now, the ladies reading may be intrigued by the “Love or Money” theme to the movie. But for the guys, there’s a reason to go as well. First off, who doesn’t emulate the lifestyle of endless money, booze, and girls. Second, Jennifer Garner is absolutely gorgeous. Third, they are some scenes with Nick Nolte that are hilarious. All I’m going to say is: hardware. All in all, the movie was funny. There isn’t a profound amount of depth in each character, but it’s enough to suffice. If you’re bored on a Friday night and want to go do something with your significant other (or maybe just a group of friends. Whatever, man. It’s cool), Check out Arthur.

A note about Russell Brand: I’m waiting for his Will Smith transformation. Smith did role after role of goofy protagonist whose comedic blundering made him millions. Eventually, the man started landing serious roles. (Seven Pounds, Pursuit of Happyness, I am Legend etc.). I’m waiting for Russell Brand to go through the same thing. Granted, his life off-screen once mirrored that he’s portraying onscreen now, but there’s only so much of the same character an audience can take. If Brand wants to be taken for a serious actor, he’ll have to mimic Arthur: make the choice between the same role as the playboy amused with cheap thrills, or a grown-up who can be serious when the time comes.

-Andrew Phillips