4/8/11

Arthur

In this pallid and unnecessarily raunchy remake of the 1981 classic, we see some new actors replace the originals (I almost said "the old ones"). The story is unchanged: a wealthy drunk stands to be disinherited if he doesn't marry the woman his family has chosen, so of course, the woman he falls for, falls short.
  • Russell Brand ("Get Him to the Greek") replaces Dudley Moore as our eponymous hero. Actually, he doesn't replace him, he is merely cast in that role.
  • Helen Mirren ("Red"). If anyone is up to the task of filling Sir John Gielgud's shoes as Hobson, it would be Dame Helen.
  • Greta Gerwig ("No Strings Attached") has the formidable job of taking the place of Liza Minnelli, as the girlfriend who just doesn't measure up. But she does sorta grow on you.
  • Luis Guzman ("The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3") is a chauffeur and backup man.
  • Jennifer Garner ("Juno") is the fiercely determined fiancĂ©e endorsed by his mother.
To me, it seemed as though they were striving for "wacky," but the word "tepid" kept coming to mind. Of course the glamorous settings and the privileges and trappings of wealth are always fun, but this just seemed strained.

Some of the dialogue might have been witty, but we couldn't make it out. I might check the DVD out of the library when it becomes available...if I'm motivated enough... after all, it IS predictable...ish.