Arthur: Movie Review

How many of us have dreamt of becoming rich - rich beyond our wildest dreams? We bet everyone would raise their hands without any hesitation. You just have to look at how long the lines are at lotto stations to see the need for moolah. Who would not want unlimited oodles of cash right? Well, we all know that famous phrase, "Money can't buy happiness". "Arthur", the remake of the 1980s film of the same name, tackles the issue of money versus true happiness (and in the film's case, true love). Read on to find out what we think of the latest crazy film from the ever-quirky Russell Brand. Arthur Bach (Russell Brand) has always relied on two things. First is his limitless and endless family fortune. Second is the guidance of his lifelong nanny, Hobson (Helen Mirren), who always tries to keep him out of trouble. When Arthur pushes his luck too far, he has to face his biggest challenge yet - choosing between an arranged marriage with Susan (Jennifer Garner), a woman he does not love but will ensure his lavish lifestyle or an uncertain future with the one thing money cannot buy - true love with Naomi (Greta Gerwig). With Naomi’s inspiration and some unconventional help from Hobson, Arthur will take the most expensive risk of his life and finally learn what it means to become a man. "Arthur" exceeded our expectations from it. We thought it was going to be an uninspired comedic look into the lives of the rich and famous. Oh, how miserably wrong our initial assumptions were. "Arthur" in fact is a heartwarming film at its core and this is the ultimate reason why it gets a top grade from us. Beyond the craziness of Arthur Bach and the endless laughter his character brings are the key interactions he has with the people surrounding him. Arthur Bach may seem a selfish, naive brute at first but you also discover a human factor that goes beyond that. In our opinion, Russell Brand was the perfect fit for Arthur Bach and he did his part brilliantly. Russell as Arthur was natural and effortless. Two major gripes though. First, we think the first part was paced badly. Second, one key story element just did not make sense (spoiler alert: it has a connection with Arthur Bach's popularity as a person and one person not knowing about his engagement). Overall, we highly-recommend "Arthur". It is a comedy way beyond funny - it actually is an effective drama film. Rating: 4 reels Why you should watch it: - Russel Brand's humor is zany and weird but in a good way - surprisingly a heartwarming film at its core Why you shouldn't watch it: - we just felt that a key story element was improbable given the popularity of Arthur Bach - the first half of the film needed some improvement in terms of pacing