Review of Arthur (2011) by Tom R — 24 Jan 2012
(1 Star) I haven't seen the Dudley Moore version of Arthur yet, but there's no way it could be this bad. 2011's Arthur is not very funny. I don't think Russell Brand, who plays the title character, is a leading man; he's passable as an annoying sidekick or voice actor, but "annoying" will always be his signature trait and that's a dangerous characteristic to carry a film.
I feel really sorry for Helen Mirren; the movie should have been about the no-BS nanny... not because she is a great actress, but her character is way more interesting than the uber-spoiled Arthur. I feel sorry for Jennifer Garner as well; she's too likable to be a money-hungry villain.
At first, I didn't get why Nick Nolte's character is insane, but then I see he's only there as scene filler and uninteresting comedic fodder. This film drags like no other and feels like it's 3-4 hours long, in which, there are a ton of loosely-plotted setups that are about wasting money.
I think the two comedic setups I actually like are appearances of the Batman Forever Batmobile and the Back to the Future Delorean... and you can tell a movie is great when it makes you think of better movies.
Like Russell Brand's voice, 2011's Arthur is just irritating.
This review of Arthur (2011) was written by Tom R on 24 Jan 2012.
Arthur has generally received mixed reviews.
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