Arthur
Arthur
PG | 17 July 1981 (USA)
Arthur Trailers

Arthur is a 30-year-old child who will inherit $750 million if he complies with his family's demands and marries the woman of their choosing.

Reviews
Incannerax What a waste of my time!!!
Joanna Mccarty Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.
Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.
Yash Wade Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.
cricketbat Arthur was fun enough. Dudley Moore was ok, but John Gielgud is a delight! I'm not a fan of Liza Minnelli, so it's hard to root for her as Arthur's romantic interest when I see no reason why they should be together. I don't know why this film got Oscar buzz, but it's worth a watch.
secondtake Arthur (1981)I'm no Dudley Moore fan, but this grew on me and I found him not only hilarious but, as intended, touching. He is supported by two very different kinds of actors—John Gielgud and Liza Minnelli—but they form a wonderful trio.The story is a timeless one—the rich man who is out of touch with what really matters in life. This isn't pushed very far, and the end is pretty inevitable, but the journey is great fun mostly because Moore is relentlessly funny. Minnelli plays a great strong woman foil to him, and is obviously what he needs in life. The "romance" between them is never very convincing because it remains a bit practical—they don't have that great scene where we expect them to truly "fall in love," and that's just fine. (The closest is the scene in the horse barn, which has one of the funnies lines in the movie, which almost feels like a Moore ad lib, you'll see.)The aging butler played by Gielgud is more nuanced and funny than the cliché of the English butler in so many movies. It's weird to see him play this kind of role when his repertoire ranges more to Shakespeare (he's one of England's great 20th Century stage actors).So love this not for the story, which is lovable but plain, but for the three actors and their ongoing wit and verve. A fun fun movie.
BoomerDT The first time I happened to see this was on my honeymoon, it was the in flight movie as we were flying home from a wonderful trip. It was a absolutely perfect movie to enjoy at such a time, along with numerous glasses of champagne. Of course you missed quite a bit viewing in-flight movies back then but I've caught up with "Arthur" many times since via cable or rentals and I never fail to laugh. Just a wonderful script and direction by Steve Gordon, it's a shame he passed away shortly after this. While John Gielgud's superb performance as Hobson gained an Oscar, this film was going to either soar or crash on Dudley Moore's performance as Arthur. It's not easy to make a spoiled and perpetually sloshed playboy into a lovable character, but Dudley pulls it off. I've never been a big fan of Liza Minnelli. but she is also terrific as Linda, the waitress from Queens that Arthur falls in love with. Some other fine performances, such as Ted Ross as Bittermann, Arthur's chauffeur and Anne De Salvo, who has a hilarious bit as a hooker who Arthur entertains at a ritzy NYC restaurant.To those who dislike this because it makes alcoholism seem funny and cute...lighten up, it's only a movie. Hollywood has a tradition in making drunks seem lovable. Just as they do with prostitutes. As a PS, still married to the lovely lady 33 years later. Best that you can do is fall in love.
SusanHampson "Susan you're such an a**hole!" Only someone as hopelessly childlike as Arthur could glean a smile from such a comment but his fiancé seems oblivious to his insults. For this is the best he can do as he sits opposite a woman he is forced to marry or be cut off without a cent (US$750million to be exact). Susan adores everything about him (what woman wouldn't?) and come to think of it, most of the people he meets in the film adore him except his family. I certainly would fall at his feet if Arthur Bach were a real character. He has warmth, style and dare I reveal my shallowness - he has pots and pots and pots of money. So what's not to like? This film is utterly charming and hasn't lost any of its appeal even though it's now more than 30 years old. It is a really romantic film at its heart and it is very satisfying watching the helpless manchild fall in love with a charismatic and striking actress, Linda Marolla (played by a quirky Liza Minnelli). Unfortunately this all happens at the same time as he is being manipulated by his powerful family into marrying the beautiful, elegant and how can I put this - a square cardboard cut out of a woman, Susan Johnson. She is beautiful, no question but Arthur, although from old money, acts like a parvenu; he's always drunk and appears to connect with real people and so the vivacious Linda, who's always got a story at the ready to get herself out of trouble, really appeals to him.Arthur's character is a charming playboy whose life revolves around drinking and laughing, and little else. He likes to live it up, a bit like the hellraisers of the eighties but with none of their artistic bent. Arthur is no Ollie Reed or Peter O'Toole, he is a bored multimillionaire which does make him quite a tragic figure. "Some people drink because they are not poets. This is who I am." He desperately tries to explain to the gloriously vacuous Susan. But boy does he come alive when he's on the sauce! Dudley Moore who plays Arthur is very convincing as a drunk and plays it so beautifully. He is certainly the life and soul of the party and the best one liner for me is when he says to his betrothed's butler "Are you sure you want to be a nightclub comic?" when said butler displays all the personality of a walking corpse. Arthur's own butler, Hobson (Sir John Gielgud) needs no introduction and deserved the Oscar he received for his dry and biting wit. "If you and your undergarment could move two paces backwards, I could enter this dwelling." he snorts to Linda's bewildered father as he enters their humble abode. Hobson is an innate snob and even though every utterance is an insult he's such an original that you readily forgive him.As we see the dilemmas that Arthur faces throughout the film, we do see him develop and mature (just a bit). His slightly deranged and eccentric grandmother, Martha is hilarious and I thought she would be a great match for Hobson as they are both inveterate snobs but that would be a totally wild and unbelievable storyline - what was I thinking! If you are still an old romantic at heart (even though thirty years have passed since you may have seen it) watch it again. Arthur and Martha truly lit up my heart as did all the other characters. RIP Dudley Moore and Sir John Gielgud, unforgettable performances, unforgettable film.