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Tuesday, April 23, 2024
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HOLLYWOOD ARTHUR
EDITOR'S PICK
Rating: ***
Love in the times of the cholera called
prosperity and globalisation is often seen as a childish thing.
"Arthur", the remake of an eponymous 1980s classic, which was also
remade into the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Bollywood hit "Sharabi", is a
take on love versus money. The film, despite its failings, manages to keep its
head off the ground.
Arthur (Russell Brand) may be 30 in body, but the rich, spoilt son of a
businesswoman mother is but a child who has turned drunkard due to the absence
of motherly love. Though he is outwardly wayward, he harbours a heart of gold
and the only one who can see this is his nanny Hobson (Helen Mirren). When
Arthur finally falls in love with a simple girl, he cannot find completion to
his love as he is supposed to marry Susan (Jennifer Garner) or stand to lose his
inheritance.
The new "Arthur" maintains the sanctity of the original to a decent
extent. The gags, wit and humour have been aptly replaced to match the times,
without much change to the story. The main change occurs in the character of the
nanny Hobson, who is now a woman, making a literal replacement of mother as
compared to the original`s more subtle approach and a fantastic Oscar-winning
performance by John Gielgud.
The film loses as far as its direction is concerned. Debutant director Jason
Winer, who has previously helmed only TV, is incapable of handling key moments
and emotions that gave the original much of its poignancy. Hence, the character
of Arthur`s girlfriend has been reduced considerably, and her father`s story is
completely lost.
Also, the film, while lingering on its funny bits, rushes past its emotions that
gave perspective to the humour and Arthur in the original.
The writer-director duo also fail to realise that the film is not about a
drunkard, wayward man coming to terms with his problem, but of a man owning up
to what he truly is deep inside. It was a statement that veered towards love in
its perennial conflict with economics. Thankfully, because the story has largely
been left untouched, this essence of the original comes out, though a lot muddy.
Russell Brand gets the chance of his life as the drunkard lead. And though he is
`cute` in the modern sense, he cannot recreate the feel of a vulnerable drunkard
that Dudley Moore did in the original with such humorous aplomb. Jennifer Garner
and Nick Nolte are good in their short roles and Helen Mirren steals the show by
her take as a stern but lovable nanny -- but she falls short of reaching John
Gielgud`s brilliance in the original.
As remakes go, this one is not bad, yet purist and movie buffs will cry foul at
the tampering of the double Oscar-winning original. Yet, if you haven`t seen the
original, this might just be your ride to the madness of Arthur.
