Arthur

Character 'Arthur' annoying no matter who plays part

Barry Wetcher / Warner Bros.

Russell Brand is the latest "Arthur."

“Arthur” has never been my idea of a great movie concept.

You’ve got a multi-millionaire man-child whom we are supposed to find lovable.

Dudley Moore originally played the habitually drunkened Arthur back in 1981. The movie was OK, but grew annoying as the film progressed.

The same with the 2011 remake starring Russell Brand, up to a point. Sorry Moore fans, but Brand was slightly more fun.

It starts with Brand going out on the town with his chauffeur, Bitterman, played by Luis Guzman. Except they portray Batman and Robin. OK, cheap humor, but Guzman is pretty hilarious as an overweight, Hispanic Robin.

Soon they crash their Batmobile and are arrested by the police. But it’s no big deal. The cops know Arthur and arresting him is a regular event. The press also loves to report on Arthur’s exploits, he being the heir to a big corporation.

After being released from prison, he starts tossing money around at a bar, his way of improving the economy.

Yes, he’s lovable and incompetent. Don’t you just love his free spirit?

His mother, played by Geraldine James, doesn’t. So she gives him one of those situation-comedy ultimatums, marry the daughter of another wealthy family or be cut off from his income source.

His fiancee, Susan Johnson, is played by Jennifer Garner, and future dad-in-law is none other than raspy Nick Nolte, playing a self-made millionaire who garnered his millions in construction.

The Nolte scenes are pretty disposable. It seems like they could have been reworked to spotlight his talent. And for the most point, you see him a bit and he’s gone. Not an intricate part of the film, except, maybe, when he’s holding Arthur’s head to a buzzsaw.

This being the film with the predictable plot, enter now a young woman with some of Arthur’s zany practices, but make her poor. Then let them fall in love. Ahhhhh.

So Arthur must marry the snooty rich girl or lose his fortune. The girl he loves is played by Greta Gerwig as a young woman who earns her living giving unauthorized tours of New York. Apparently, this is an illegal action, as she is stopped by police. So heck, she’s a bit of a rebel, too. Offering unsanctioned tours of the Big Apple.

So not a real original plot. You got the rich guy who will lose his fortune if he doesn’t marry the stuck up rich girl. But he’s in love with the off-the-wall poor girl. There’s even a scene almost out of “I Love Lucy” in which both women are in his cavernous apartment and he must keep them from running into each other.

Helen Mirren plays his faithful, sarcastic servant, Hobson. Sir John Gielgud played the role in the original picture.

This pedestrian film is really saved by Brand’s over-the--top acting. He’s a hilarious guy, the same as when he plays the has-been rock star on Showtime’s “Californication.”

There’s some pretty funny scenes with his Arthur character in an AA meeting.

In less capable hands, “Arthur” would be a real mess. But Brand makes the movie rather palatable. He at least provides enough laughs to make the film worth your time.

ARTHUR

• Directed by Jason Winer
• Written by Peter Baynham and Steve Gordon
• Runtime: 110 minutes
• Rated PG-13 for alcohol use throughout, sexual content, language, some drug references