A 1980s comedy that relies very much on the charm of its
leading man, Dudley Moore, Arthur is a fun film that just about holds up today
though it comes very close to overstaying it’s welcome. If you dislike Dudley
Moore then you’ll dislike this movie so bear that in mind (it begins with the
sound of his laughter and that’s the most common noise throughout the entire
film).
Arthur (Moore) is a man who refuses to grow up and take
responsibility in life. That’s okay though, he’s also the heir to a fortune of
about $750 million. His best relationship is with his butler, Hobson (a
scene-stealing John Gielgud), unless you count his warm, ongoing friendship
with anything alcoholic. Things come to a crunch after one embarrassment too many and
Arthur is given an ultimatum by his family – marry a girl deemed a good choice
for him (Susan, played by Jill Eikenberry) or be cut off from the money. A difficult
decision is made even more difficult after Arthur bumps into, and falls for,
Linda (Liza Minnelli).
Much like the main character, Arthur bumbles and stumbles
along merrily enough, for the most part, but also tries your patience on
occasion. Moore can act well as a loveable drunkard, Minnelli is sassy and
quite cute and Sir Gielgud invests his every scene with a presence and nobility
they don’t necessarily deserve. Barney Martin is also very enjoyable as Linda’s
father.
Writer-director Steve Gordon gets a lot right but also seems
to be overstretching the lightweight material at times. Perhaps that’s simply
due to the inherent problems you always have when in the company of a full-time
drunkard, things start to get a little less humorous and patience is worn down.
It’s hard to sympathise with a main character who has had
such an enjoyable free ride through life and rarely shows anything other than
selfishness and cowardice so it’s to Gordon and Moore’s credit that audiences
warmed to Arthur as much as they did.
6/10
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Arthur-DVD-Dudley-Moore/dp/B00004CYRB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371663132&sr=8-1&keywords=arthur
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