Viewed in
2011
Formats
Netflix streaming (Xbox 360)
Premise
Dudley Moore plays a drunk millionaire who is forced to marry or sacrifice his riches.
Liked
The cast.
Disliked
The messy third act.
Thoughts
To my surprise, this film still held up, mainly thanks to the likeable cast.
This was truly Moore's greatest achievement. He managed to transform an annoying, undesirable, unrelatable character into an absolutely charming, memorable protagonist. This film would not have succeeded without the audience buying and sympathizing with Arthur. Even his high-pitched, overused cackle was somehow enjoyable.
As great as Moore was, the rest of the cast was equally strong. The dialogue and and acting allowed the supporting characters to be more than just foils. Liza Minnelli was spunky and charming as the love interest. There were some hilarious performances by the supporting actors throughout the film. But the true scene-stealer was the late, great John Gielgud as Hobson the unflappable butler. His deadpan delivery of tough love got the biggest laughs. I could see why he won best support actor.
The weakest link was the last act. First, it lost some momentum with tragedy, though it was well executed and did not come out of nowhere. Then the climax and resolution was a rushed, jumbled mess of attempted humor, suspense, and happy endings. Lastly, Arthur's character arc felt incomplete.
Going in, I figured Arthur would be antiquated and unlikable. Turns out I was wrong. Thanks to irresistibly charming performances by Moore, Minnelli, and Gielgud, and some sharp dialog, this film remained a timeless, enjoyable romp. Now if I could just get than annoying "Arthur's Theme" song out of my head...
What I would change
Improved the last act, just not sure how.
