Plot: What’s it about?
It’s been about 30 years since we were first presented with the film “Arthur.†It starred Dudley Moore as an alcoholic billionaire (or maybe at the time, millionaire) who had everything he’d ever wanted except genuine happiness. The film was critically acclaimed and actor John Gielgud won an Oscar for his portrayal of Arthur’s butler, Hobson. As we all know Hollywood loves to give a fresh spin on the classic tale so “Arthur” was re-made with Russell Brand in the lead and Helen Mirren taking the place of Gielgud thus introducing a new generation to the Arthur Bach’s lifestyle. Before I delve into the actual review I do have to comment on the casting of Russell Brand. Brand has had his real life troubles with both alcohol and drugs, so I do have to admire him for taking this part. He’s been clean and sober for several years and is married to Katy Perry, so I’d say that he’s certainly climbed out of the hole that he was in several years ago.
Arthur Bach (Russell Brand) has everything that money can buy. He’s got gadgets, a magnetic bed, a penthouse apartment in New York City – literally money is no object. Arthur is also a notorious playboy, sleeping with different women on a nightly basis, living on a diet of vodka tonic’s all day and the like. He’s the heir to the Bach fortune and is mother (Geraldine James) is actively running the company. Vivienne (James) would ideally like Arthur to take over the company, but given his public reputation it’s just not feasible. It’s decided that Arthur will marry Susan (Jennifer Garner), someone who has money but not the “Bach” name. Susan will then take over the company having the prestigious name and the desire to actually work. Arthur must do this or be cut off from his assets. To complicate matters he meets Naomi (Greta Gerwig), an aspiring author who makes her money by offering bootleg tours of Grand Central Station. Will Arthur find true happiness or will his dependency on money win out?
“Arthur” is the epitome of “they don’t make them like they used to.” Although I didn’t find this version bad, the first one was so classic that I didn’t think it’d ever be re-made. Dudley Moore was spot on as Arthur and the film had so many classic lines that even thirty years later I still quote them: “He’s taking the knife out of the cheese!” or “Where’s the rest of this moose?” Of all the actors out there today, I do think that Brand was probably the best choice, though Brand is somewhat of a one trick pony in that he plays the same character in every movie he’s in. Garner is a bit hard to take as the antagonist and Helen Mirren shows that she can still deliver the goods, even as a butler. Greta Gerwig had some big shoes to fill taking on the part played by Liza Minnelli in the original. While Gerwig was good in her part, as I mentioned, those are some big shoes to fill. Fans of the original will likely prefer it, but “Arthur” isn’t all together bad – it does have its moments.
Video: How does it look?
The new “Arthur” keeps the same 1.85:1 aspect ratio as the original and though not as wide as some of the other movies out there, we do get a good sampling of the New York City landscape. A vast number of the scenes take place inside Arthur’s apartment. Colors are generally strong, though the movie tends to have a grayish undertone to it in the sense that everything has a “concrete jungle” feel to it. Detail is impeccable as consistent with a new to Blu-ray film. The AVC HD transfer is certainly indicative of a studio film and fans won’t be disappointed.
Audio: How does it sound?
“Arthur” is more of a dialogue-driven comedy though the DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack does have its moments. Brand’s voice seems to be all over the spectrum ranging from high and whiny to low and insufferable. Still, the mix delivers this without any distortion. There are a few ambient sound effects thrown in for good measure, but the front-heavy soundtrack takes the burden of the mix. All in all, as far as comedies go, this is somewhat forgettable but there are a few moments (such as the opening car chase scene) that do make up for it.
Supplements: What are the extras?
There’s a sampling of supplements here, though none are too terribly engaging. We start out with “Arthur Unsupervised!” which has some interviews with the cast and crew and shows all the fun they had on the set. There’s a gag reel, a few deleted sceens as well as a Digital Copy of the film and a standard DVD of the movie to boot.
