I'm a little hesitant to review Arthur without having seen the beloved 1981 Dudley Moore film (it's on my DVR), but here goes. Arthur Bach is a 30 year old man child as well has heir to a billion dollar fortune. He spends his days carousing while being picked up after by his maid, who also serves as a surrogate mother and best friend. In between blazing down the streets in his own Batmobile and looking out of his bathtub with his telescope to poke fun at passersby from his bachelor pad in Manhattan, Arthur meets a young tour guide who is different then most of the women he meets. He begins to develop feelings for her just as his icy mother issues an ultimatum: marry a corporate go getter in order to keep the family name in line, or be cut off from his inheritance. Now Arthur must make a decision between the woman he loves and the lifestyle he can't live outside of. Arthur plays out exactly how you think it would and isn't exactly made well. Still it has a sweet quality to it that gives it charm, starting with Russell Brand. When I first noticed him in his amusing role in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I thought he was just going to be a flash in the pan, but his inherent likability gives again gives weight to this picture. Greta Gerwig, who endearing to Ben Stiller's jerk in Greenberg, brings that same quality here as Brand's love interest. The film wouldn't float without Helen Mirren, who not only demonstrates her acting prowess but shows she even has better comic sensibilities than many of the top billed comic actors working. Arthur is a good time that will leave you with a silly grin on your face similar to its lead actors. What more could you ask from a film?
