The Arthur of 1981 was popular and well-received but we can’t say the same for the Arthur in cinemas now. The “world’s only lovable billionaire” is a British guy with a high-pitched, pre-pubescent voice, which means the filmmakers already have their work cut out for them in winning over the audience.
The titular Arthur (Russell Brand), a silver spoon fed playboy, lives in a bubble with his immature behavior constantly landing him in the headlines, jeopardizing the business empire his mother (Geraldine James) controls. He receives orders from the matron to marry Susan (Jennifer Garner)—and defiance will mean the loss of his inheritance. Arthur resigns to the arranged marriage but then meets and falls in love with Naomi (Greta Gerwig), an unlicensed tour guide who aspires to be a children’s book writer. For the first time in his life, Arthur, alongside his firm yet caring nanny Hobson (Helen Mirren) and his comical chauffeur Bitterman (Luis Guzmán), must take matters into his own hands.
To be fair, Arthur is a fairly entertaining film—even touching at times—but it doesn’t distinguish itself from any other comedy out there. Performances from most of the cast are decent, with special mentions for Mirren, who (unsurprisingly) captures the spirit of a loving and unfailing nanny, and Garner, whose pseudo-villain Susan is scheming and seductive. Gerwig’s stereotypical “free spirit” role goes from likeable to cloying very quickly though.
Whether or not you’ll enjoy Arthur really rests on three things: Whether or not you’ve seen the original, how much you like rom-coms and your level of tolerance for Russell Brand. Depending on how they apply to you, Arthur could be adorable or an atrocity.