When I went to go see Arthur, my expectations for this movie were low. Maybe that is wrong not to give justice to a movie character you see in the previews that behaved care free as a spoiled brat that gets away with anything his lust desires. I always try to go into movies without that prejudice and stereotyping it and give an equal show. So does Arthur live up to the expectations of the self indulging American Pie series or does it dig deeper as a film?
Arthur played by Russell Brand, does things that are reckless that put himself as a bad image to the public and to his family business. Arthur who still has the child like mentality in his 20’s and still has his nanny played by Helen Meer, does anything he can to be defiant against his mother who he only addresses her in her first name. Not just to add to his careless troubles, he is a major problem is that he tries to drink away his reality and his problems.
However this story isn’t just about watching a drunk in his 20’s do crazy stunts like the Jack Ass movies, he is the heir of a billion dollar company and his mother arranges him to be married to one of the prominent and upcoming woman in business played by Jennifer Garner. This marriage becomes more of a business transaction than for a couple who falls in love. Since Arthur doesn’t want to lose his wealth, he agrees to go along with this sham wedding. Of course to keep the story more interesting, he falls in love with a tour guide played by Christina Calph, and fights his battles between love and wealth.
Please don’t go into this film with much expectation, and you will have some good laughs and a good time. I found myself laughing more in this film than I originally gave it credit for. Russell Brand does a great job not only making his character defiant son with deep emotional reasons why he acts the way he does. What surprised me most, is when watching Arthur go through his humbling demeanor more than once in this film, I found myself wanting him to succeed which in most cases with that type of character, I don’t.
What I enjoyed of the film was the supporting cast of Helen Mirran the nanny, and Nick Nolte as the father of the bride to be. They really brought a great chemistry and spark in the film.
What needed to improve was the length. I thought that the movie was a little too long. It needed to be cut down at least by 15 minutes. It was like they tried to get so much into 2 hours, that it missed some points with the audience. When it got to the ending, it was really weak, and really poorly put together. It was to the point it really didn’t make sense and defeated the purpose almost of where the film was going. It seemed like they wanted the film to go into a direction of showing Arthurs consequences, and it felt that they never accomplished it.
Arthur was funny, and I wouldn’t even compare with the original. These are two completely different movies. It is like reading the book before seeing the movie. You can’t compare the two, because they are two different types of storytelling. I wouldn’t skip seeing Arthur, but I would recommend waiting till it comes out to rent.
Grade: C
If you like this film, I recommend:
Arthur (1981)
Get Him to the Greek (2010)
Mr. Deeds (2002)