Cast: Russell Brand Helen Mirren Greta Gerwig Luis Guzman Jennifer Garner Nick Nolte Jennifer Garner and Geraldine James
Directed by: Jason Winer
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for alcohol use throughout, sexual content and some drug references.
Genre: Comedy
Running Time: 1 hr 50 min
Opening Date: April 8, 2011
Distributed by: Warner Bros.
By John Delia
Another big comedy has entered theaters this weekend called Arthur and it’s a scream. Of course the most fun comes from star Russell Brand the new champion of comedy who turns and old film into a touchingly brilliant laugher. If you want to loosen up from everyday problems go see Arthur, his troubles are far from dull.
The film centers on Arthur Bach (Brand) a rich heir to a limitless fortune and a playboy who never has an empty booze bottle. But, after so many embarrassing incidents his mother (Geraldine James) wants him to settle down and get married. Not to anyone mind you, but to his ex-girlfriend Susan (Jennifer Garner) with whom his mother has business ties. When Arthur stumbles upon Naomi (Greta Gerwig) his real love in life, things start getting real messy.
Even if you’ve seen the original release starring Dudley Moore, it’s time you met his match. Brand puts on a hilarious performance as the drunken billionaire who finds himself in a quandary of loosing his fortune by going against his mother’s wishes. He molds Arthur into a fun loving oaf who you cannot but adore his winsome personality and generosity.
In support, Luis Guzman plays his trusting butler Bitterman who desperately tries to keep Arthur in line. The perfect character to bounce off a lot of comedy in scenes that need to be uplifted following Arthur’s problematic times.
But the support star of this show is Helen Mirren who plays the loyal nanny Hobson. She’s the backbone for Arthur, his fallback person and real ‘mother’ when it comes to life challenges. Mirren shows her acting charm and sensibility giving Brand the perfect person to bring out his character’s inner sincerity.
Special applause goes to Jason Winer for his fine direction of his first motion picture. Making a comedy for the big screen is no easy task and he nailed it with Arthur. I’m looking forward to more of his filmmaking, hopefully in the near future.
Arthur is rated PG-13 for alcohol use throughout, sexual content and some drug references. Please be cautioned that in most cases there is little consolation for Arthur’s drinking habits and a lot of comedy surrounds the bad habit.
FINAL ANALYSIS:Â A very funny comedy. (A)