This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Movie Review: Arthur

"Arthur" remake with Russell Brand and Jennifer Garner won't disappoint.

I’m a huge fan of the 1981 movie “Arthur,” starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli. What I’m not always crazy about are remakes, which is why I was a little bit skeptical about 2011’s “Arthur,” with Russell Brand and Jennifer Garner--although I do love both of those actors.

What I will say with strong conviction is that the new “Arthur” will not disappoint! Producers had the guts to make it different enough from the first one, that it takes on its own identity, instead of being yet another remake that didn’t quite measure up to the real thing.

The plot is basically the same, carefree, irresponsible, but loveable billionaire Arthur Bach has to marry Susan, a longtime family friend (who he clearly doesn’t love), or his family will cut him off. Here are some of the differences. Susan in the first “Arthur” is sweet, kind and very clueless, (played by Jill Eikenberry, who  was fantastic). The new “Arthur’s” Susan is conniving, manipulative, and extremely unlikable (which I credit to good dialogue and great acting).

Find out what's happening in Glenviewwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Another major difference: in the first “Arthur,” Hobson, Arthur’s butler is a man. In this “Arthur,” she’s a woman, who jokes that she’s Arthur’s nanny.

I think what made this movie so great was the casting. Russell Brand is amazing. This is the first movie I’ve ever seen where he really gets to show off his talent. And he truly is talented. So funny, so loveable and adorable, I found myself cracking up constantly and rooting for him the entire time. On a side note, I felt the exact same way about Dudley Moore.

Find out what's happening in Glenviewwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Then there’s Hobson, (played by Helen Mirren). Can I just say, she was probably the best part of the movie! What an amazing performance!! The relationship between she and Arthur was so darn cute, and I wanted to just keep watching. Another fantastic casting move was putting Nick Nolte in as Arthur’s future father-in-law, Burt Johnson.

Hilarious, especially a scene where Arthur is playing with a nail gun and he accidentally hits Burt multiple times, leaving the “tough as nails” guy unfazed. The woman Arthur falls for, Naomi, (played by Greta Gerwig) was also a great choice, and so was Arthur’s butler, Bitterman, (played by Luis Guzman.)

The only thing that lagged a bit for me were the dates with Arthur and Naomi. They were a little drawn out. Then again, who am I kidding? I’m a sucker for a good, romantic scene.

I would highly recommend “Arthur,” an adorable, feel-good, hilarious at times, fun fun movie! And if I had to pick between the first “Arthur” and the second? It’s a tough decision. Here’s an idea. Watch both in one night!

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?