Remake is such a magical word in terms of cinema, inspiring faith and revulsion in equal measure. The remake pricks the ears of the casual audience goer, assured that the film will offer recognisible storylines with happy endings. In critical circles, it pricks with disease-riddled needles the eyes of bewildered spectators, who think this is lazy LA-LA land milking an old cow for the tart droplets of juice left festering in her teats. And most predictively of all, the remake piques the interest of the blogging trolls who spread like wildfire that world wide whisper… it’s not as good as the original.
So yeah… Arthur.
It’s not as good as the original.
And that’s not surprising really, when you consider the vintage of the world’s favourite alcoholic millionaire. The 1981 Arthur was a worldwide smash, earning $82m in the US alone, claiming two Academy Awards out of four nominations and making a gigantic star out of its diminutive lead, Dudley Moore.
30 years later and it’s time to rebrand the franchise. What brand new actor could they get to step into Moore’s big shoes, in this tale of a boy boozing on brand label bubbles, who’s branded a boob by all those around him? Why, the loquacious lout of British stand-up, Russell Brand, of course! Brand’s quickly making a name for himself as a comedic actor who can deliver the laughs with risible dialogue, while dabbling with the fart-joke friendly pathos of the Apatow Jew Wave trend. And make no mistake, this is Brand’s vehicle, a film designed to make you want to see more of him, with a script from Peter “Borat/Brüno” Baynham sculpted around Russell’s specific talents… that it’s believable he could be rich, idle, feckless and very, very charming.
And that is how this film comes across, easily the most charming bad comedy of the year. Nothing in it is particularly funny, the jokes are derivative and bland, but each of the actors on screen handles their stereotype roles with such zesty appeal that you’ll want it to be so much better than it is. Helen Mirren as a fuddy-duddy nanny with an easy sideline in sardonic putdowns – like it. Jennifer Garner as an aggressive career-climbing shrew engaged to Arthur for his family connections – like it. Greta Gerwig, easily the best thing in the wishes-it-was-half-as-charming-as-it-is-clever dramedy Greenberg, as the sweet love interest with a smile to melt your heart – like it. And Brand, himself a recovering drug and sex addict, somehow manages to make a billionaire playboy likeable in a world where bailouts are buzzwords. That he also makes him pitiable shows that there’s more to Russell than meets the eye. Can't help but like it.
Not a 10, by any means, and a tad too cloying in parts, Arthur is very easy viewing, but a bit of fun too.
3 Likes.
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