Arthur – movie review

I admit, the first time I saw the trailer for Arthur, my reaction was the same as it is with any remake: “Why?” It didn’t last long, though, as my next thought was, “Well, why not?” I never saw the original movie, because, honestly, I was never a fan of Dudley Moore. If my parents ever saw it when I was too young to remember, they weren’t impressed enough to have watched it again when I was older. I never heard anyone swear that it was a must-watch movie while I was growing up. I have no emotional attachment to the original movie, so the remake would not tarnish my views of the original. However, I am a fan of Russell Brand, and that was enough for me to stick with the thought “well, why not?” and see the remake. I enjoyed myself.

While I did not see the original Arthur, I cannot imagine it having the collection of movie cars this one had, seeing as the movies were post-1981. The cars alone made me smile out of happiness. There’s the Batmobile, a Delorean with an “OUTATIME” license plate, and a Mystery Machine that clearly stood out in the movie. The movie itself was very charming, and I found myself laughing quite often. A lot of it did have to do with Russell Brand, but Helen Mirren and other cast members also had their fair share of moments.

I have many favorite moments in the movie, but the best is when Burt Johnson shows Arthur his table saw. Burt Johnson is just insane to begin with, and we meet him while he’s pulling nails out of his skin like it’s no big deal. Then he decides to see if Arthur will learn to listen to everything his daughter Susan tells him to, so he has him saw a board of wood in half. Then he tells Arthur to put his finger on the saw. Arthur, understandably, does not want to. Then Burt decides that Arthur should put his tongue on the saw, yet for some reason, the reassurance that the moisture will turn the saw off does not put Arthur at ease. So Burt Johnson puts him in a headlock and forces his head toward the saw. I love the insanity of the scene. Another favorite scene of mine is when Arthur takes Naomi on a first date they had previously described to the police. While Naomi enjoys the date, she immediately shows Arthur that he can still have a good time with somebody for free.

Russell Brand was Arthur, and this entire review could be a love letter about how much I love Russell Brand as Arthur. I’m convinced Russell Brand just poured himself into the role. There were almost no moments in the movie where you didn’t feel bad for Arthur, no matter how funny his escapades were, except for maybe when he wrecked the Batmobile – but it was the beginning of the movie and we didn’t know him yet. By the time he paid everyone in the jail’s bail and started giving everyone money from an ATM because it’s a recession, you know you like him. Then the morning after comes, and you realize that when you’re loved for money, there’s so few people who honestly love you, and no matter how positive Arthur’s outlook is, it’s really hard to not feel bad for him. It only gets worse from there. But no matter how bad all that is, you don’t stop laughing at the movie. Arthur trying to get a job, for example, is priceless. Brand also has great chemistry with Helen Mirren and Greta Gerwig, which really made the movie.

Helen Mirren was Hobson, Arthur’s nanny. I loved Hobson. She was no-nonsense, and spending a lifetime with Arthur has made her immune to his antics. Hobson is more like a disappointed mother, but there was never any doubt that she loved Arthur, and eventually it does become obvious that she really believes in him. Mirren was just as funny as Russell Brand in the movie, and she has impeccable comedic timing.

Greta Gerwig played Naomi, the girl Arthur falls in love with after he’s already engaged to Susan. Naomi was sweet and didn’t care about Arthur’s money, which was a bonus. But she had a personality that also matched Arthur’s, like they both liked cartoons, and she could stand her ground around Hobson. Naomi really inspires Arthur to want to be a better person, which makes it impossible to not love her. Gerwig did an excellent job portraying her.

Jennifer Garner was Susan, and I did not like her. That might have been the point, but Garner was way more insane in this movie than I’m used to seeing her, and I wanted to scratch Susan’s eyes out all the time. Susan made Arthur miserable by just existing, but after they got engaged, she got worse. I think Susan was crazier than her father. While I didn’t like Garner in the role, it definitely didn’t hurt the movie in any way.

Overall, I loved Arthur. I loved it enough that I actually want to see the original and compare, even though I never had a compelling reason to do so before in my lifetime. If it’s half as funny and charming as I found the remake to be, then it’s in good shape. Arthur is definitely a must-watch for Russell Brand fans, and others may also find it endearing.