|
Arthur
| Released |
22 April 2011 |
| Director |
Jason Winer |
Starring
|
Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner, Greta Gerwig, Luis Guzman, Nick Nolte |
| Writer(s) |
Peter Baynham |
Producer(s)
|
Larry Brezner, Kevin McCormick, Chris Bender, Michael Tadross |
| Origin |
United States |
| Running Time |
110 minutes |
| Genre |
Comedy |
| Rating |
12A |
|
|
Russell Bland.
When Arthur was released in the U.S. it just came short of hitting the number one spot at the box office. Russell Brand can’t have been too displeased though since the number one film was Hop, in which he also stars. These two releases mark something of a turning point for Brand, as the one time provocateur takes a nose-dive into family friendly territory. Now on the wagon and happily married, Brand seems to be in the process of systematically shaving the rough edges from his reputation as well as his hairdo (now a disconcertingly drippy shoulder length affair). This is a great pity because on paper, Brand would appear an interesting choice to reprise the role made famous by Dudley Moore.
To recap, Arthur is the bone-idle spendthrift heir to a vast fortune. Despite being in his thirties, he still relies on his live-in nanny Hobson (Helen Mirren). Tired of his reckless behaviour, his mother (a stiff upper-lipped Geraldine James) threatens to cut him off unless he marries ruthless social climber Susan (Jennifer Garner). In the meantime he falls for tour guide Naomi (Greta Gerwig) and must choose between money and love.
I had hoped that for his version of Arthur, Brand would have brought along some of the rock star petulance that made his turn in Get Him to the Greek so entertaining, making Arthur an overgrown teenager rather than a whimsical child. Unfortunately I was disappointed and Arthur’s starry eyed wonder quickly becomes more annoying than the sought after lovable. Greta Gerwig, so earthy and believable in Noah Baumbach’s Greenberg, is underused in one of those Zooey Deschanel roles in which she is required to be vaguely quirky. Meanwhile Jennifer Garner manages to be tedious despite turning her bunnyboiler gauge right up to 11. Only Helen Mirren brings a little depth to proceedings and her interaction with Brand was the highlight, tempering his performance a little and adding some genuine warmth.
While not being offensively bad in any way, Arthur is neither funny enough nor charming enough to make it anything other than instantly forgettable. Save your ten euro and revisit the original.
-
Linda O’Brien |
