Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988)

It was inevitable following the success of "Arthur" a sequel would eventually come along. Sadly it was also inevitable, it would be of inferior quality. so much so that Dudley Moore has actually disowned the movie. Plot in A Paragraph: Burt Johnson (Stephen Elliot) is an unhappy man following Arthur (Dudley Moore) jilting his daughter Susan (Cynthia Sykes replacing Jill Eikenberry this time around) on their wedding day. He manages arrange for Arthur to lose his entire $750 million fortune. Will the former millionaire playboy be able to survive as a broke, unemployable alcoholic?? To add to Arthur's problems, his wife Linda's (Liza Minelli) biological clock is ticking louder than ever, and she's wanting to start a family (even looking at adoption) and starts putting pressure on him to start taking responsibility for himself. Watching the movies back to back was a mistake as Moore's drunk act is very annoying this time around, and Minelli aged a lot in between the two movies. Paul Benedict tries hard as Fairchild and Cynthia Sykes is OK as Susan. But once again John Guilgud walks away with the movie as Hobson. This time in a cameo, he is the movies only bright spot, and delivers the movies one genuinely funny line.

So said Estelle Getty on an episode of "Golden Girls" when Bea Arthur makes a comment on Liza Minnelli's stint in rehab. In retrospect, the film is certainly not as bad as the critics said it was, and while a sequel may not have been necessary, it was certainly more welcome than the wretched re-make of the original. In fact, the sequel gives Liza more to do than the first one, since John Gielgud's Hobson is now relegated to a ghostly appearance to show Dudley Moore's title character what he was missing in a sort of "It's a Wonderful Life" spoof.Ironically, "Golden Girls" featured two appearances by the legendary Geraldine Fitzgerald, repeating her role here as Arthur's matronly grandmother, and also getting more to do. Liza takes on an interesting comparison to her own life, playing a woman unable to have her own child, and trying to find a baby to adopt. The main plot about Arthur's ex-fiancée's father going out of his way to bankrupt him in revenge is the only weak point, but that is overshadowed by the heart and soul of Moore and Minnelli's romance. So give this one a chance. You may not come out of it singing about the moon and New York City, but you won't be declaring it "Ishtar" either.

When it was first released, "Arthur 2: On The Rocks" got the reputation of being a big disaster, a stigma that it still has more than 20 years later. That stigma is why I put off watching it for so long, only deciding to give it a look when it appeared on free TV in my city. After watching it, I am puzzled by its reputation. To be sure, it's not as good as the first movie. It does have a number of faults with it, such as there not being any gigantic laughs, a surprisingly sedate tone for the most part, a limited amount of plot, and Minnelli disappearing for almost all of the last third of the movie. Still, the movie has some strengths. While there are no gigantic laughs, there are a good number of chuckles along the way. The cast is enthusiastic and has great chemistry with each other, and the characters (at least the ones not in the evil family that strips Arthur of his fortune) are very likable. So while the movie is no comic masterpiece, it's nothing to really be embarrassed about - it's a perfectly okay movie, especially when you consider how bad sequels usually are.

I watched the first arthur about ten years ago and it's still one of my all time favorite films that i watch when ever i can, but it took me until last week to watch "on the rocks". I really don't get all the hate this film gets and why people on here say really bad things about it? OK, it doesn't have the charm depth of the first movie but it does a very good job of showing the viewer how arthur and his wife Linda ( Liza minelli) deal with life's problems without their wealth to fall on, and the fact arthur will have to handle that drinking problem now there might be a baby or two thrown into the mix.Moore's gags are as sharp as ever and you still cant help but fall for oddball arthur. All in all i feel "on the rocks" is a very moving film indeed.