Arthur (1981)

Arthur (1981)I'm no Dudley Moore fan, but this grew on me and I found him not only hilarious but, as intended, touching. He is supported by two very different kinds of actors—John Gielgud and Liza Minnelli—but they form a wonderful trio.The story is a timeless one—the rich man who is out of touch with what really matters in life. This isn't pushed very far, and the end is pretty inevitable, but the journey is great fun mostly because Moore is relentlessly funny. Minnelli plays a great strong woman foil to him, and is obviously what he needs in life. The "romance" between them is never very convincing because it remains a bit practical—they don't have that great scene where we expect them to truly "fall in love," and that's just fine. (The closest is the scene in the horse barn, which has one of the funnies lines in the movie, which almost feels like a Moore ad lib, you'll see.)The aging butler played by Gielgud is more nuanced and funny than the cliché of the English butler in so many movies. It's weird to see him play this kind of role when his repertoire ranges more to Shakespeare (he's one of England's great 20th Century stage actors).So love this not for the story, which is lovable but plain, but for the three actors and their ongoing wit and verve. A fun fun movie.

The first time I happened to see this was on my honeymoon, it was the in flight movie as we were flying home from a wonderful trip. It was a absolutely perfect movie to enjoy at such a time, along with numerous glasses of champagne. Of course you missed quite a bit viewing in-flight movies back then but I've caught up with "Arthur" many times since via cable or rentals and I never fail to laugh. Just a wonderful script and direction by Steve Gordon, it's a shame he passed away shortly after this. While John Gielgud's superb performance as Hobson gained an Oscar, this film was going to either soar or crash on Dudley Moore's performance as Arthur. It's not easy to make a spoiled and perpetually sloshed playboy into a lovable character, but Dudley pulls it off. I've never been a big fan of Liza Minnelli. but she is also terrific as Linda, the waitress from Queens that Arthur falls in love with. Some other fine performances, such as Ted Ross as Bittermann, Arthur's chauffeur and Anne De Salvo, who has a hilarious bit as a hooker who Arthur entertains at a ritzy NYC restaurant.To those who dislike this because it makes alcoholism seem funny and cute...lighten up, it's only a movie. Hollywood has a tradition in making drunks seem lovable. Just as they do with prostitutes. As a PS, still married to the lovely lady 33 years later. Best that you can do is fall in love.

(Plot) Arthur is a drunken playboy who's never had to work for any money in his life. His best friend is his butler Hobson (John Gieglund) and he can't stay away from precarious incidents when drunk. His life immediately changes when he's told by his father he has to marry a woman named Susan Johnson, or he's cut off from his inheritance. The real problem is that he doesn't love Susan, and falls in love with another girl (Liza Minnelli) As much as I enjoyed the remake (and I did quite a bit) the original is still the best version. Arthur is a simple and uncomplicated story that is just a treat to watch from beginning to end. The character of Arthur himself is endlessly childish, but an undeniably good hearted guy who just needs to grow up. The film's main strength comes from the terrific cast. Dudley Moore is mostly excellent as Arthur. I did feel he overdid it with the drunken laughter, which got on my nerves, but he has undeniable charisma. It's hard to feel empathy for a guy who has money, and hasn't worked for it, but Dudley managed to do it with his charisma. Liza Minnelli is absolutely adorable in her role as the love interest of Arthur's. She was cute as a button, and I enjoyed her immensely. My only complaint about the chemistry between Dudley Moore & Liza is not the actors themselves, but the way they are written. The attraction came a bit too fast for my liking, but that's a minor carp. John Gieglund gave my favorite performance in the film. His cynical, yet good hearted character stole the show for me on many occasions. He also had some classic lines that are unforgettable. The finale is filled with laughs and smiles. It's very wildFinal Thoughts: The remake is surprisingly quite good, but this is still the best. It's an extremely charming film that is impossible to dislike. Cave into it's charm, and thank me later for it. Very much recommended7.8/10

Steve Gordon died much too young. Even Liza is good in this. The music is lovely and they just don't make comedies like this any more. If one compares this with the re- make, one can see that the value of filmmaking has declined. Funniest line ever is when Gielgud says he will "alert the media.'The best part is the beginning when he shows up with his hooker date to the stuffy affair.As with most films, the film could have had about 20 minutes chopped out of it.