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 (Russell Brand) 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 (Jennifer Garner), a proper business woman, or else he will lose his inheritance. Just as he's engaged to Susan, he meets Naomi (Greta Gerwig), 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 | character name as title | alcoholic | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the dinner scene at Grand Central Station, the background music that is playing is an instrumental version of the Christopher Cross song, "Arthur (1981)'s Theme (Best That You Can Do)".

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Goofs

When the semi-naked Arthur is talking to Naomi from the street, the onlookers behind Arthur (who are genuine passers-by, not extras) change from shot to shot and back again. There are two distinct groups of them, revealing that two separate takes were intercut to create the final scene.

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Quotes

Police Sergeant: You're drunk again Arthur
Arthur: No... I have remained drunk since our last encounter

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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 Iron Man 2 (2010)

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Soundtracks

1, 2, 3
Written and Performed by Jessica Fichot
Courtesy of Jessica Songs
By arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group

User Reviews

Pleasantly Witty

"I have very poor and unhappy brains for drinking." Shakespeare's Othello

Russell Brand may not be as convincing a drunk as Dudley Moore in the original Arthur, but Brand makes the titular man-child as endearing as he could be given the premise of the comedy. Writer Peter Baynham brings some of the manic madness and tossed-off lines of Bruno to complement Brand's physicality for a pleasantly witty if not totally amusing satire of the idle rich.

Helen Mirren does well as his butler, Hobson, a middle-aged Mary Poppins, although decidedly darker. (Sir John Gielgud in the original would be tough to imitate.) Their relationship substitutes very nicely, thank you, for the lack of one between Arthur and his real mother (an effectively stiff Geraldine James). Her demand that he marry the social-climbing Susan (Jennifer Garner) or be disinherited is the romantic setup for him falling in love with "nobody" Naomi (Greta Gerwig). "Setup" for such set pieces as a deserted Grand Central Terminal with a "Pez" candy dinner and acrobats, a not terribly funny exhibition of Arthur's childlike charm.

I was greatly amused by the homage to Hitchcock, Rear Window specifically, when Arthur looks from his tub with golden binoculars at pedestrians who remind him of pop cult figures, some wittily chosen to resemble those close to him such as Hobson.

One of the small lessons of the film is that true love should be the reason for marriage, and more importantly AA is an effective solution for drinking problems. The film, after all, is about an immature rich man's discovering his inner man through sobriety. Doesn't sound that romantic, does it? Well, it isn't, even though the characters are enviably happy in the process, as is this movie-going experience.

"A very merry, dancing, drinking, laughing, quaffing, and unthinking time." John Dryden, the Secular Masque

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 April 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Arthur

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

Gross USA:

$33,035,397

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$48,147,945

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