Arthur (2011)

A drunken playboy stands to lose a wealthy inheritance when he falls for a woman his family doesn't like.

Director:

Jason Winer

Writers:

Peter Baynham (screenplay), Steve Gordon (story)

Stars:

Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner

3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Russell Brand	...	Arthur
Helen Mirren	...	Hobson
Greta Gerwig	...	Naomi
Jennifer Garner	...	Susan
Geraldine James	...	Vivienne
Luis Guzmán	...	Bitterman
Nick Nolte	...	Burt Johnson
Christina Jacquelyn Calph	...	Tiffany (as Christina Calph)
Murphy Guyer	...	Officer Kaplan
José Ramón Rosario	...	Employment Clerk
John Hodgman	...	Candy Store Manager
Scott Adsit	...	Gummy Bear Man
Evander Holyfield	...	Boxing Trainer
Peter Van Wagner	...	Naomi's Dad
Robert Clohessy	...	Veteran Cop

Storyline

Arthur is a rich, alcoholic playboy with no regards to his working life. After another drunken run-in with the law, his aloof mother has had enough and forces him to marry Susan, a proper business woman, or else he will lose his inheritance. Just as he's engaged to Susan, he meets Naomi, a free-spirited girl who Arthur thinks is perfect for him. Any attempts at holding down a job are fruitless, so Arthur has to decide, what is more important: love, or his mother's money.

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Plot Keywords:

john lennon character | tablesaw | watching tv | alcoholic | reference to little orphan annie | 

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Taglines:

Meet the world's only loveable billionaire.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for alcohol use throughout, sexual content, language and some drug references

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 April 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Arthur, a legjobb parti

Filming Locations:

Old Westbury Gardens - 71 Old Westbury Road, Old Westbury, Long Island, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,222,756, 10 April 2011, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$33,035,397

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$45,735,397

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Morra, Brezner, Steinberg and Tenenbaum Entertainment (MBST), BenderSpink

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The role of Hobson is played by Helen Mirren. In the original Arthur (1981) movie and its sequel, Hobson was played by John Gielgud who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for this part in 1982. Mirren and Gielgud both once appeared in the same movie and that was Caligula (1979).

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Goofs

When Naomi and Arthur enjoy their "first date" in the middle of Grand Central Terminal, darkness is seen outside the windows as if its the middle of the night, even though they were in bright daylight moments earlier outside on 42nd Street.

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Quotes

Arthur: We shouldn't get married... we have nothing in common. You love horses. I don't trust them. Their shoes are permanent. Who makes that kind of a commitment to a shoe?

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Crazy Credits

During the animated storybook sequence played over the end credits, Arthur and Naomi are sitting across from each other and using binoculars. Arthur says (in a cartoon voice bubble) "Look, lesbian you!" and Naomi asks "Are you a boy or a girl?"

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Connections

References Lost in Space (1998)

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Soundtracks

A Little Bit Better
Written by Daniel Merriweather, Mark Ronson and Eg White (as Francis 'EG' White)
Produced by Mark Ronson
Performed by Daniel Merriweather
Courtesy of Allido/J Records, a label group of Sony Music Entertainment

User Reviews

Helen Mirren in for John Gielgud?

Watching on Sky Movies Premier, this was a much anticipated update for me, loving the original and thought the idea of having a nanny in the form of British Super Legend Helen Mirren in the place of that original world-weary and tart (vocally, that is!) John Gielgud.

Those brought up on the inimitable Dudley Moore original will always compare this unfavourably, not least of all in that Moore was a long- standing, widely loved actor/comedian and Brand, certainly by comparison, is a cheeky new kid on the block and generally known only to a modern and youngish audience, thus limiting its appeal.

Brand is actually not bad, though he occasionally lapses from the requisite clipped English into mis-pronounced key words, not often but noticeable- a small point maybe, admittedly. There is an attempt to get Russell's hair similar to Dudley's, another small point, but I noticed! Mirren as Hobson is usually very good, with some excellent comic retorts but somehow isn't as consistently funny/good as she should be. That is probably down to the writing.

What does probably let down the side the most, may be the two young women in Arthur's life. Liza Minnelli is simply NOT replaceable and the chemistry generated between Brand and Greta Gerwig is tepid, whereas originally, the two (Moore & Minnelli) absolutely fizzed together, sparkling more than one of Arthur's flutes of champagne.

Luis Guzman IS great as the Batman 'Robin' chauffeur and there are quite a few new scenes made up specially for this film, rather than just lazily re-filming the old one.

I'm not sure that the extra 13 minutes over the original is a welcome one. It doesn't have the quality of the material to keep it going for that long. My score is nearer 6.5 than 6 but 7 it is not.