'Arthur: Then and Now'

'Arthur:Then and Now'

'Arthur' (1981) (PG) (3 1/2 stars)

Writer and Director: Steve Gordon
Starring: Dudley Moore, Liza Minelli, John Gielgud, Geraldine Fitzgerald,
Stephen Elliott, Barney Martin, Jill Eikenberry, Ted Ross, Anne DeSalvo

There I was in a dark theatre in 1981 at 13 years old watching the comedy "Arthur". I was just getting seriously into films and acting and lo and behold I was watching a classic comedy performance before my eyes. I went to see "Arthur" again for about four more times just to see the performance of Dudley Moore. I had seen him before when my parents took me to go see Blake Edward's "10". I did not realize it then but when watching "Arthur" I was seeing the peak of Moore's career and sadly his last great performance. Dudley Moore deservedly got an Oscar nomination for the role because he brilliantly mixed ribald, drunk humor with bitter sweet dramatic moments. You also have the great John Gielgud as Arthur's butler Hobson. The chemistry between Moore and Gielgud is classic and the biggest strength of the movie.

"Arthur" is a a very flawed movie but I love it for so many reasons. The movie is so much fun to watch and listen to. I know I am jaded now but comedies these days are all about shock, bad dialogue. If you actually see the movie now you forget how well written it was and how many smart quips were in it. Dudley Moore gives a performance you can watch numerous times and marvel at it. As I mentioned before the chemistry between Moore and Gielgud rocks and when the big death scene comes I cried. Also under rated here is the fine performance by Liza Minelli as Linda. Her character is a classic and Minelli's line readings are wonderful. She and Dudley Moore are completely convincing together. There are also some classic comedy bits dealing with the father of Linda played by Barney Martin (Seinfeld).

The movie breaks down towards the end with a very jarring bit of melodrama but that didn't even bother me. It involves some violence at the wedding ceremony and there is some over the top cheesy drama music punctuating it. Like I said before though this is a comedy that is solidly written and performed when most comedies these days are crude. The movie could have been a disaster with it's alcoholic playboy plot striking the wrong chord but the movie is harmless. Though today the movie could not be this careless with the subject of alcoholism. Nowadays alcoholism is seen as more as a disease and more serious.

"Arthur" may not be one of the funniest comedies but it gave us one of the best comedic performances ever by Dudley Moore. It also has one of the best friendships ever on screen and a comedy score that is one of my favorites. You also have that iconic theme song and you forget that this movie actually got a lot of Oscar love. Sadly the writer and director of "Arthur" passed away a year after the movie came out but at least his one movie is now considered a classic.

'Arthur' (2011) (PG-13) (3 stars)

Writer: Peter Baynham
Director: Jason Winer
Starring: Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Great Gerwig, Luis Guzman, Jennifer Garner,
Nick Nolte, Geraldine James

The remake of "Arthur" is way more flawed than the classic original and I was ready to hate it. I thought that the movie would water down the alcoholic nature of it's title character and come off like a sitcom pilot. It is sometimes shallowly written but Arthur is still a drunk and Russell Brand is actually very good and funny here. The movie has it's problems but Brand actually can carry a lead in a movie and, surprise here, is effective as a romantic lead. The movie's strength is the relationship between Arthur and Hobson again and it's sweet love story.

"Arthur" again tells the story of Arthur Bach, a millionaire rich playboy who drinks a lot. He is forced to marry the daughter of a self made millionaire or he will lose his fortune. He has a butler named Hobson and a chauffeur named Bitterman who serve him and nurture his immaturity. Hobson, who originally was a man played by Sir John Gielgud, is played by Helen Mirren here. This is a genius casting move and change and Mirren steals the movie of course. She is nowhere as great as Gielgud but that is some of the screenplay's fault, all this movie pales in comparison to the original. Luis Guzman is Bitterman and Guzman is very sweet and funny and he is a great character actor.

Now there is no way Brand could be as great as Dudley Moore was in the original but he doesn't try to be Moore and I found him very funny and charming. His love interest is played by Great Gewrwig and she is just as effective as Liza Minelli was in the original. I love Gerwig with her super long legs, her sweet, funny personality and wholesome beauty. Brand and Gerwig are great together and their love story is solid.

I was very close to not recommending this movie but three things pushed me over the top. The first was the sweet love story, the second was the still solid relationship between Arthur and Hobson and yes again I teared up during the death scene. And the third thing was the genuinely good performances by Brand, Gerwig and Mirren.
Those three things overcome some glaring flaws in this remake starting with the horribly miscast Jennifer Garner. First her character I found very demeaning to women and Garner is too sweet to play a shallowly written bitch. This is a very weakly written character and I am glad it was balanced by the Gerwig character. Garner goes through some embarrassing and unfunny stuff here. There is also a terrible score and no classic theme song except for a remake of the original.

Sadly Nick Nolte has nothing to do as the father of Garner's character. When Nolte first comes on screen the scene is jarring and weird but he looks good and chiseled and I loved hearing Nolte's gruff voice. He seems like it is a struggle to be able to speak and I found it amusing. After that he doesn't have anything to do, there is no tension between him and Brand and that is a very lost opportunity.

You probably noticed I mentioned the actors but not some of the character's names. This is not as good as the original and most of the characters don't register but again I fell in love with Brand and Gerwig. This is a very sloppily made movie at times and there are a lot of weak moments but Russell Brand is fun and I can't wait to see him again. Also Great Gerwig and Helen Mirren are two very appealing women and actresses and they are memorable. A lot of people will be bored by this but for a romantic comedy good luck finding anything out there any good. I will take this inferior remake to the original over any romantic comedy out there right now.