Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

The new ‘Arthur’ is a watered-down retread

Arthur

Russell Brand stars in Arthur

In 1981, Dudley Moore played immature playboy Arthur Bach as a lovable drunk, whose intoxicated propositioning of prostitutes and erratic driving were mined for laughs, and who managed to land the quirky girl of his dreams (played by Liza Minnelli) without ever having to put down the bottle. In the 2011 remake of Arthur, the plot remains much the same, but Russell Brand’s version of the title character has to endure six months of AA meetings before he’s allowed the preordained romantic-comedy ending.

The Details

Arthur
Two stars
Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Greta Gerwig, Jennifer Garner
Directed by Jason Winer
Rated PG-13
Beyond the Weekly
IMDb: Arthur
Rotten Tomatoes: Arthur

That change is one of only a few differences between the new Arthur and its predecessor, and most of the other alterations are superficial. Arthur is still whiny and self-involved, and his needs are still taken care of by an austere servant named Hobson, although Hobson’s gender has been changed to female (Helen Mirren takes over the role from John Gielgud). Arthur’s overbearing parent, too, has switched genders: Here it’s his mother (Geraldine James) who forces Arthur into a loveless engagement with a socially acceptable mate (Jennifer Garner) for the sake of preserving the image of the family company. Arthur, however, prefers the company of a quirky dreamer named Naomi (Greta Gerwig, completing her transformation from acclaimed indie actress to rom-com accessory), who naturally has no money or pedigree whatsoever.

The plot is entirely predictable even if you haven’t seen the original movie, and Brand once again proves his complete lack of range, giving pretty much the same performance he always gives. Some of his drunken ramblings are amusing, but they lose their charm quickly, and the movie doesn’t have anything else to fall back on (although it stretches on for nearly two hours anyway). Garner embarrasses herself as a desperate shrew who will do anything for a position of power, and Gerwig is charmingly low-key but sort of fades into the background. That leaves the ever-classy Mirren as the only one who comes out ahead, but even she isn’t likely to give this movie a prominent place on her résumé.

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