Arthur (2011)

Arthur Bach is an extremely rich and reckless drunk who always gets his way. That is until his mother informs him that he will lose his inheritance if he doesn’t marry snobby and slightly insane Susan Johnson. He agrees to do so, but then meets the love of his life in Naomi Quinn, and struggles, with the help of his nanny Hobson, to choose between a life of happiness and a life of money. That’s all well and good, but we have seen this movie before, haven’t we? Like, the exact same movie. Except Dudley Moore had some of an adult in the kid and Hobson was a man and Naomi was Linda, a wild waitress instead of a super-sweet children’s book author. Plus, that movie was funnier and this one more average. In this remake, the formula is still there, along with some of the heart, and in the end it’s almost familiar enough to seem good. Plus, it’s kinda funny.

As I said, this remake of the original award-winning comedy from 1981 features precisely the same story and most of the same jokes, just modernized. The result is a very mixed bag. Some of these recycled moments work with the new stars and some really don’t. Russell Brand is an actor who is very annoying as a general rule, and his version of Arthur is somewhat less lovable than Dudley Moore’s. Brand even mimics some of Moore’s drunken mannerisms to a certain point, but still holds on to some originality. This all works out well enough because it provides fans of the original further reminiscence of the brilliant original role, but also proves that Brand can give a restrained performance all his own. In fact, I was rather surprised to find that he could carry his own weight, even if there is no way to not compare him to Moore and when doing so, there isn’t really a comparison.

The same can’t quite be said for the excellent Helen Mirren as the now female Hobson, a character who provided some of the best and most memorable laughs from the original (“I’ll alert the media.”). Here, Hobson is still the forceful, but loving voice of reason in the chaos, but on a much more touching level. John Gielgud played an aging man who had been the friend and father Arthur needed, but who also seemed pretty much done with life. Mirren plays her role with a lot less bite, as is allowable for a woman who is supposed to be like a second mother, and who also seems to be most content at her end. Greta Gerwig plays the romantic lead with a romantic comedy awareness that did not accompany Liza Minnelli in her much more carefree character. Arthur loved Minnelli in the original because she was a kindred spirit in attitude and lifestyle, and Arthur loves Gerwig in the remake because she’s nicer than Jennifer Garner’s wretched Susan. Gerwig does manage to provide a good balance to Brand’s Arthur that is believable, if not completely realistic.

As this brief review has shown, there is no way to watch the modern Arthur without comparing it to the original. While one was a fresh and funny comedy in the midst of its more stale companions, the other gives us the same movie all over again without adding anything new on its own. The remake is not without fault; it tries too hard to be funny in a classic way and also funny in a modern way, with unbalanced results. But it is also not without merit as well; it is still a relatively funny and entertaining little movie with a few surprisingly adequate performances. This Arthur is easy enough to give a slight recommendation as a popcorn date movie, while the original is highly recommended. Perhaps watch both and compare for yourself.

6/10