ARTHUR
3 out of 5 stars

“wash your winkie...thoroughly.” – hobson

i actually thought this wasn’t half bad! russell brand plays the role of annoying british comedian very well, helen mirren is a spitfire sarcastic/witty british nanny who puts up with all of arthur’s antics, and i even liked arthur’s love interest naomi! it’s a cute rom com about a rich boy who falls in love with a poor girl... ;)

if you haven’t seen the 1981 original feat. dudley moore and liza minnelli, then read further... (although this plot is a little different from the original) filthy rich playboy arthur bach (russell brand as his alchy self) and his butler bitterman (luis guzman) dress up as batman and robin, and decide to crash arthur’s mother’s fundraiser, but bitterman loses control of their vehicle (the batmobile), and they end up crashing into the wall street bull! arthur ends up getting arrested yet again, and his mother, fed up with arthur’s craziness, gives him an ultimatum: either marry susan johnson (jennifer gardner), a successful businesswoman OR lose his inheritance. (= a cool $950 mill) arthur doesn’t want to lose the $, so he reluctantly decides to go with this sham marriage... then, there’s a wrench thrown into arthur’s plan because he runs into a cute girl named naomi, who is giving an illegal tour in grand central station, and he instantly falls in love with her... he loves her spontaneity and free spirit and creativity, and he realizes he’s found his “toad”. (there’s a ref. to the frog and toad story on one of their dates...so cute!) susan, his mother, and even hobson try and persuade him to drop this newfound love interest, but arthur would rather fall in love. ;)

so, the character of hobson and helen mirren’s portrayal of arthur’s adult nanny is just...BRILLIANT. brand is annoying and a total dumbass, but helen mirren steals the show as hobson! she’s hilarious and witty and sarcastic, and it broke my heart to see hobson “leave” arthur’s side... :’( hobson loves arthur more than his own mother, and arthur loves her just as much. it’s a sweet relationship, and it’s totally worth watching brand and mirren paired up together... the hobson and arthur relationship > arthur and naomi. if you’re ever in the mood for a light/fluffy chick flick, you’ll see why. ;)