Arthur
I’m still trying to wrap my head around how I feel about Russell Brand. When I first saw him in 2008’s “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” I thought he had some hilarious moments, but the idea of seeing an entire movie with him– in a leading role no less –just didn’t really strike me as a good time. (This might also explain why I have yet to see last year’s “Marshall” spin-off, “Get Him to the Greek.”) Now here it is, after my first experience with him as a leading man, and I am just as puzzled. The material is perfect– who better to cast in a modern take on the Dudley Moore classic? –and he does superb work with his supporting cast (in particular with Helen Mirren and Greta Gerwig), but I’m not quite sure I can call myself a fan of his just yet.
One thing I do know is that I am very much a fan of “Arthur,” which casts Brand as the man-child, playboy heir of a billion-dollar empire. Arthur is very much his own man– in the sense that he is, let’s say, rather unique. When we first see him, he is dressing up for a black-tie event in a Schumacher era Batsuit with his big-bellied sidekick/driver, Bitterman (the fantastic Luis Guzman), dressing as 1960’s era Robin. Arthur is perfectly content to blow through his seemingly limitless resources and embarrass himself and the family name as he pursues a life of decadence and frivolity, so long as it is on the family dime and his nanny, Hobson (Mirren), is there to tuck him in at night (or whenever it is that he chooses to go to bed). And did I mention he also has a bit of a drinking problem? His mother, Vivienne (Geraldine James), has had enough, and she offers Arthur an ultimatum: He is to marry socialite Susan Johnson (the fiesty and fiendishly sexy Jennifer Garner) or he is cut off from the money. Arthur is not exactly happy about that, but he is willing to go along with it… at least until he meets a quirky tour guide from Queens (Naomi, played by Gerwig) with whom he might actually be able to find genuine happiness.
Naomi is a breakthrough role for Greta Gerwig (last seen as one of Natalie Portman’s besties in “No Strings Attached” and, before that, as someone else’s [ill-fated] bestie in 2009’s independent horror flick, “The House of the Devil”). Naomi is a sweet, intelligent, and wonderfully grounded woman, and Gerwig has an effortless chemistry with Brand. We watch Naomi put her own spin on landmarks of New York for fascinated tourists, care for her elderly father, and show Arthur that there is more to a fun date than extravagance and excitement; and Gerwig makes us care. You might assume the pair star-crossed, as the symbolism of Arthur and Naomi’s first meeting might suggest (they first meet as Naomi is showing off the constellation ceiling at Grand Central Station to a group of tourists), but we quickly see that these two are truly kindred spirits and that they so belong together it’s ridiculous! But where Naomi cares about working for her accomplishments, Arthur is, for now, content to buy his happiness. In my opinion, the best part of Gerwig’s performance is seeing how she shows Naomi’s influence on Arthur as he realizes the fruitlessness of his current life.
As in the 1981 original, Arthur’s relationship with Hobson is just as important to the story as is his romance. Hobson (Helen Mirren now in the role originated by John Gielgud, except now a nanny rather than a butler) has spent much of her life doting after Arthur and cleaning up after his life of privilege. Is this seriously the same Helen Mirren who won an Oscar playing England’s Queen mother in “The Queen” just four years ago? That air of sophistication remains about her, but this film and last year’s “RED” have shown her capable of a truly wicked sense of playfulness that here strengthens the bond her Hobson is meant to have with Brand’s Arthur. Whoever thought of putting Brand and Mirren together here is a casting savant; their relationship is ultimately the heart of the movie as Arthur begins to really see himself and desires to change for the better, even if it means no longer living off a multi-billion dollar teet. How Arthur does with that might surprise you… or maybe not. But either way, it is absolutely an entertaining journey.
