Review of Arthur (2011) by John M — 04 Dec 2011

It's the Russell Brand show!... for better or worse. So Brand plays Arthur, a drunken manchild, which is just barely in his range, I know. Arthur has a difficult choice to make in marrying a woman he doesn't love (Jennifer Garner) and keeping his inheritance, or following his heart for a poor girl (Greta Gerwig), and losing the lavish lifestyle.

I have never seen the 1981 film that this is based on, but I ended up enjoying this more than I was expecting to. For one thing, I do not consider myself to be a Russell Brand fan in the slightest, as I think he has been suffering from overexposure ever since the credits for Forgetting Sarah Marshall rolled (I actively dislike Get Him to the Greek).

He's less annoying here, even though he's still doing the same thing he always does. He has better things to say, and I think that goes a long way, and I found myself consistently chuckling throughout.

Also co-starring here is Helen Mirren as the nanny, and she gave me the most laughs playing the straight character. This is also a better opportunity for Greta Gerwig to showcase her abilities; she's got the talent, but Greenberg was such an unlikable movie, that you couldn't help but walk away with a bad taste in your mouth.

I did have some trouble trying to like Brand here, but I grudgingly did and you do like these characters so that when the story does take a turn for the serious, you're invested in it. I would have liked to see more restraint on some of the jokes, which are just there for the sake of being referential, but then again, this isn't a perfect movie.

Not great, but it is a surprise.