What ever happened to the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”? The original Arthur is a Dudley Moore comedy classic with that hauntingly beautiful theme tune, Arthur’s Theme by Christopher Cross. So why spoil it by camping things up with Russell Brand? As a stand-alone movie, the new Arthur is lightly amusing, playful, upbeat and fun at best. However, when a movie tries to capture the essence of an original – a fairy dies. That fairy is Russell Brand, who while entertaining, funny and British… is no Dudley Moore. Yes, there’s a likability and yes – he can play the spoiled rich “manboy” well – but… and this is a big but, he’s too distant to make the romance seem convincing.

The story is quite simple… love or money. A drunken playboy (Brand) falls for the wrong girl. In most families this happens all the time, but in Arthur’s world… he stands to lose his inheritance. It’s the sort of light, fluffy fairy tale comedy that worked in the carefree dreaming of the ’80s. Making it work for today’s modern tastes is an entirely different matter. Modern Family director, Jason Winer, attempts to make the leap from TV to film – yet he and his lead seem a little out of their depth. Padding the ensemble with the likes of Helen Mirren and Jennifer Garner will give you credibility, but neither is known for their comedic roles, leaving Brand to scare up the laughs.

“Can I just say, you’ve put on a wonderful spread…”

Arthur is essentially a romantic comedy and when you don’t have the romantic connection, the movie begins to lean heavily on the comedy. This puts a severe strain on a film, when it falls into one of those “all the funny bits were in the trailer” type movies. There are one or two real chuckles and Helen Mirren does add some class to the production, but it’s a tawdry affair otherwise. Having a trust fund brat living it up lavishly in a hedonistic manner in post-recession times just seems excessive. The original Arthur was delivered when people weren’t counting pennies making it more popcorn friendly and suited to escapism.

The new Arthur proves that Russell Brand can take a lead comedy role, but there’s much to be desired when he’s not trying to get the laughs.  There was an apparent lack of chemistry between Brand and co-star Greta Gerwig. The fresh-faced actress is a real find, portraying a thin character quite convincingly – but there’s no substitute for a lack of chemistry between the Benny & Joon pairing. Jennifer Garner isn’t much better opposite Russell Brand… and plays a general irritation, desperately seeking those last laughs like a clown on death row. Helen Mirren is wonderful as Hobson, but can’t match the wittiness of John Gielgud in the 1981 original. The addition of Luis Guzman and Nick Nolte are just thickener for a very watery soup.

The whole situation is summed up by the handling of the original’s theme tune. The original has stood the test of time, 30 years and still regularly making the airwaves as one of those nostalgic trips down memory lane… even for people who haven’t seen the original Arthur. The music encapsulated the floating on air feeling of the Dudley Moore classic and is a cornerstone of the film. However, not so with the new version. The weak attempt at a remix has found it’s way to the credits, since it would just seem out of place in the actual film’s soundtrack.

“Russell, personally I thought ‘Hop’ sucked.”

The two films are worlds apart, sharing a similar story… but making the soft focus love and laughs of the ’80s seem more real. There’s a lack of romance, comedy and magic in the new Arthur – which doesn’t match expectations for the talent involved or the source material. You can understand a film getting the green light when the technology of the original has become outdated, but trying to mimic a classic for charm and comedy is a much more daring feat even if you wave the white 30 year anniversary tribute flag.

Fans of the original will die a slow death and even those that haven’t seen the Dudley Moore film will wonder why they didn’t just call it Mr Deeds 2. Where’s the heartwarming emotion, the ’80s loving and carefree fun? It’s sad when we’re forced to remake classics in favour of supporting original thought, especially when the remakes are wholly unnecessary.

The bottom line: Lightweight.

Release Date: 29 April, 2011
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