Hollywood may be in the grip of Remake-mania, but some films appear harder to reboot than others.
Take “Arthur,” the 1981 comedy starring Dudley Moore as a lush who finds love with Liza Minnelli. How could a modern film deal with Arthur’s alcoholism?
Once upon a time, comedian Foster Brooks forged an entire career out of acting drunk. Moore’s blotted performance carried on that comic tradition, drawing the biggest laughs for lines he slurred and slobbered over.
Times changes. So do cultural mores. So remaking “Arthur” would be difficult – if not impossible.
When Russell Brand signed on to play the new “Arthur” I figured he was the one actor to pull off the drunken act. He’s dealt with addiction issues in real life, so tackling them on screen seemed less of a stretch.
But the first trailer for the new “Arthur” confirmed my early suspicions. This Arthur isn’t the slosh he once was.
He’s also not very funny.
Here’s hoping the film itself, due in April, offers more laughs than this sneak peek. You don’t have to be drunk to enjoy a great comedy, but if the new “Arthur” is as bland as the trailer suggests, you might need a nip or two to make it palatable.
(Photo art: Dudley Moore plays a drunken millionaire in “Arthur,” one of the best comedies of the 1980s.)
Related posts:
on 
on 
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I wouldn’t expect too much from Arthur, but the part where Helen Mirren punched Russell Brand is a scene worthy of a gif image. I could watch it over and over again. The movie would probably make good money, luring people who enjoy Forgetting Sarah Marshall or Get Him to the Greek.
Wow. This stinks on ice. The movie studios are plum out of new ideas. Too bad, too, since NEW ideas are what pleasantly surprise movie audiences and gives artistic invention a shot in the arm.
Saw the trailer today.
They should have never remade it.
Probably the folks who never saw the original, or reallly like Brand will see this. The rest of us can just cringe through the weekend it opens and then disappears.
Why?
It looks like a Lifetime movie with an actual budget. It wont get any of my money.
It’s a very weak trailer, no doubt. I love Mirren and think Brand can be a movie star if his career is handled just right. But there’s nothing here that makes me want to see the movie. It’s hard to even suss out the themes at play.
A ‘dry’ Arthur that is just stupid. Why even bother with a remake.
Maybe it’s best that there is no alcohol in this remake.because honestly, who can portray a lovable drunk better than Dudley Moore did?
Sigh..I just wish all the remakes of classic movies would end already.
The studios are NOT out of new ideas. Far from it. There is a veritable TORRENT of new writers and fresh ideas flowing into Hollywood each year. What they are out of lately is gumption. Movies are so outrageously expensive now (50 million dollars to produce, on average; another 30 million to promote) and the “suits” so risk averse (with good reason — their jobs are on the line with every roll of the dice) that only those ideas that have been “field tested” such as sequels, remakes, and projects based on popular works from other mediums are worthy of their investment.
ARTHUR was a hit once. It’s a story that’s been “field tested’ that a new generation of moviegoers aren’t familiar with.
So of course it’s ripe for a remake. And will probably suck.
Then I shudder to think what Hollywood will do with the slated remake of The Thin Man, slated for release in 2013.
My favourite scene has Nick and Nora Charles consuming 12 martinis between them in a matter of minutes.
GROAN! NOT THE THIN MAN, TOO!!??
The “Thin Man” remake will clearly be a man on the Atkins Diet married to a wife who is an extreme vegan, both drinking martinis that their doctor’s say does not constitute excess and therefore are “politically correct” to consume. They will solve murders only after the corrupt police and evil CSI folk pin the blame on some poor shlub who is an animal-rights activist and a moslem (yes, I know, that pairing is an oxymoron).//sarcasm off//
On a serious note, Mirren is a great actor but she has some serious shoes to fill in that role. I can’t see myself caring enough to watch this remake but I am sure Hollywood will pour enough sex and naughtiness into this to drag out the boys on date-night (poor victims!)
I should note: The Martinis that the couple’s doctor will say is okay is made from organic apple cider with a spring of thyme instead of an olive/twist.
Maybe Hollywood has new ideas…but indie drams not worth the time of day, actioneers (both he-man “kill-and-blow-things-up-to-get-the-girl” and ‘comic book heroes’/'organized crime’), by-the-book no-chemistry ‘rom-coms’, boring buddy road flicks and a dog/cat movie/cartoon tearjerker/laff-riot thrown in does not cut it from my perspective.
Perhaps I am expecting too much and being too harsh…or not.
Christian… the Imdb tagline for Arthur says “a drunken playboy” so while the trailer plays it quiet it seems the Arthur will still be a drunk.