Since the original Arthur was released in 1981, much of the economic landscape has changed for the viewing public. As the Reagan Revolution dawned, audiences laughed along with Dudley Moore as he played a lovable lush who sails through life and gets the girl of his dreams, mostly on charm that only $750 million can buy.
Thirty years later, while we are still picking up the shards of the global economic disaster, director Jason Winer brings us a revamped version of Arthur for a new generation. So soon after Bernie Madoff and the Wall Street meltdown, are we really ready to laugh at, much less care about, the exploits of an obnoxious, unrepentant alcoholic multimillionaire?
If anyone could make audiences forget the indelible (if politically incorrect) performance by Moore in the 1981 original, it’s Brand. With his rock-star long hair, wiry physique and effortless charm, he’s comfortable being the center of everyone’s attention. Whereas Moore’s Arthur stumbled through life in an innocent, bemused fog of lonely hedonism, Brand’s Arthur actively seeks out social contact and enjoys causing public mischief.
Arthur’s toys are flashier and more numerous, and he is more sexualized than he was 30 years ago, so he comes off as merely juvenile rather than innocent. After enjoying a partying binge/orgy with random strangers in one scene, he later has to be told how to make a pot of tea without burning his fingers. Arthur 2.0 may be much more fun to hang out with, but it makes him less sympathetic when he is finally forced to grow up.
Most of the elements of the original Arthur have been retained for Winer’s remake: As the titular playboy parties his way through New York, his stern, all-business mother pressures Arthur to marry Susan (Jennifer Garner), a ladder-climbing corporate exec who he used to date but does not love. When Arthur resists, he is told that he will be cut off from the family fortune if he refuses the marriage – a fate he can scarcely imagine.
Arthur attempts to ignore the wedding with more shopping sprees until he bumps into and quickly falls for Naomi (Greta Gerwig), a slightly eccentric would-be children’s book author who seems to make most of her income giving unlicensed tours of Grand Central Station to unsuspecting tourists. Naomi is perhaps the least fleshed-out central character in the film, but she makes an appealing match for Arthur. Though Naomi is awed by Arthur’s wealth, she is more attracted to his sense of humor and rebellious nature.
One of the more refreshing diversions from the source material is the re-imagining of the Hobson character. Sir John Gielgud’s snobby manservant has been transformed here into Arthur’s long-suffering nanny, played by Helen Mirren, who retains much of Gielgud’s acidic tone, sheathed in precise diction. But Mirren also adds a touch of motherly love and allows some playful humor to seep through Hobson’s haughty exterior.
As expected in the current culture of endless rehab, the 2011 Arthur must address his alcoholism more directly than his 1981 self. While there are a few references to AA meetings, it is to Winer’s credit that Arthur stays focused on Arthur’s immediate matrimonial dilemma and does not run off the rails into a full-on tale of redemption.
Fortunately, no matter the economic or political climate, being funny is still funny, and Brand delivers the goods. Despite a few too many excesses, today’s Arthur pays off nicely in the end, and the hangover is relatively light.
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