Arthur

Here is a movie that has everything going against it even before the studio logo appears on the screen. It's a remake of a beloved 1981 comedy, which featured an iconic performance by Dudley Moore as the title character. Not only is it a remake, it's an unnecessary one. To further up the difficulty, the filmmakers have cast Russell Brand to take on Moore's role. Brand is an actor who I have mainly liked in supporting roles (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), but found him obnoxious in his big leading role in last year's Get Him to the Greek. By all accounts, Arthur just should not work. And yet, the movie won me over with its undeniable sweetness and charm as it went along.

Of course, other remakes have faced uphill battles, and succeeded on their own terms. Remember True Grit from four months ago? Arthur is not the total success that Grit was, but it made me smile quite a lot. The big surprise here is Brand, who gives a lot of child-like innocence to his portrayal of the wealthy billionaire who refuses to grow up, as well as a lot of genuine warmth and emotion during his scenes with his love interest, the sweet Naomi Quinn (Greta Gerwig, extremely likable here). He's not able to erase the memory of Dudley Moore (no one could), but I liked him just the same here. I liked the way he gives off the impression that his mind is constantly wandering from one thing to another. Sometimes he'll stop talking in mid-sentence, and move on to something completely different. He's constantly lost in a haze, but it's an innocent one, like that of a child who just won't pay attention.

The plot more or less stays true to the original film, although it's been updated enough so as not to be completely aping the 1981 version. Arthur (Brand) is filthy rich, but lives in a world of his own which includes expensive toys, movie props (like the Batmobile, or the time machine car from Back to the Future), and cartoons. His mother (Geraldine James) is tired of her son's excessive spending, partying, and embarrassing the wealthy family name. (In the film's opening scene, he's arrested for driving the Batmobile through the streets of New York while drunk.) She offers him an ultimatum - He must marry the equally wealthy Susan Johnson (Jennifer Garner), a woman of high social standing whom Arthur has absolutely no interest in, or risk being cut off from his $950 million inheritance. Arthur agrees to the offer, but regrets his decision when he meets Susan for dinner, and finds her just as dull, controlling, and mean-spirited as he remembers her. Susan's father (Nick Nolte, who in recent years has gone from gravel-voiced to boulder-voiced) doesn't exactly win him over, either.

Yet, Arthur is stuck if he wants to hold onto his money, so he proposes to Susan. Of course, that's also right about the time he meets Naomi (Gerwig), a lovable blue collar woman who gives unofficial tour guides of Grand Central Station, and dreams of writing children's books. Arthur immediately knows it's love when he meets Naomi, but has already proposed to Susan. Helping him through this romantic dilemma (and life in general) is Arthur's nanny, Hobson, played to stern, sarcastic perfection by Helen Mirren. Even though there's been a gender change with this character (the character of Hobson was played by the great John Gielgud in the original), it's hard to picture anyone but Mirren stepping into the shoes of Gielgud's performance. She's acidic and sarcastic in her personality, but she obviously loves Arthur, and respects him more than she admits. Brand and Mirren are also great together, both funny, and tender during their later scenes when Hobson falls ill. When Brand tells her, "I'm going to take care of you for once", it's sincere and believable.

I was surprised in a lot of ways by this remake of Arthur. It does not dumb itself down, as a lot of remakes are known to do. In fact, some of Brand's one-liners are likely to fly over the heads of even some adults. It also manages to pay respect to the original film, without insulting it. It never quite lives up to it (there are fewer laugh out loud moments here), but it knows for the most part what made the original work so well, and captures it in certain scenes. This movie just also happens to have a great big heart. It's warm, it's very sweet, and I liked the scenes between Arthur and Naomi. I've often said that a romantic comedy succeeds or fails on the basis of whether or not we want to see the main characters get together at the end. Brand and Gerwig sell their relationship, and create genuine chemistry on the screen.

In fact, it's the supporting cast outside of Brand, Mirren, and Gerwig that just don't quite live up to their tasks. I didn't really buy Jennifer Garner as Susan, but then, the movie gives her little to do other than flash a fake smile, and glare at Arthur whenever he embarrasses her. Nolte is given even less to do as her father, and comes across more like a cameo than anything. (His introduction scene does earn some laughs, though.) Luis Guzman gets a couple laughs as Arthur's sweet and not-too-bright chauffeur Bitterman, but once again, he's given very little to do in the film. They all play fairly minor roles, except for Garner, so it's not a huge knock against the movie. It'd just be nice if there were more to their characters.

So, Arthur is an imperfect movie, as well as an imperfect remake of a very good film. Yet, I kind of liked it. The charm of the film goes a long way, as does Brand's smart and sweet portrayal. It's not a total success, but it's heart is in the right place, and it does not insult the memory of the original. Sometimes with remakes, that's all you can ask for.

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