Arthur (1981)
Although I absolutely love Dudley Moore, I don’t absolutely love one of his most famous films, Arthur. He plays a very spoiled millionaire with shocking immaturity and intimacy issues. It had potential to become a story with a touching arc and character growth or transformation, but instead it just decided to be quirky through and through. When given a love interest, Liza Minnelli, Dudley doesn’t mature or go out of his comfort zone even for a minute. Instead, her own brand of quirkiness fuels his, and together they get even quirkier. It would have been better writing if he met a normal, more mature woman who forced him to step up to the plate.
Another irritant of Arthur is the “sentimental favorite” Oscar awarded to John Gielgud for playing Dudley’s butler. As an accomplished Shakespearean actor, he was ignored; but for joking around with foul language, he won an Academy Award. At the Hot Toasty Rags, we were happy to pre-emptively right the wrong. He won his Best Supporting Actor award for Julius Caesar in 1953.
If you haven’t seen this 1981 classic, definitely rent it. It’s entertaining, even if you’re not rooting for anyone. The iconic song plays throughout, and it definitely has the “golden age” feel of the decade. If you end up liking it, you can rent the sequel for more quirky fun.
More Liza Minnelli movies here!
More Dudley Moore movies here!
Another irritant of Arthur is the “sentimental favorite” Oscar awarded to John Gielgud for playing Dudley’s butler. As an accomplished Shakespearean actor, he was ignored; but for joking around with foul language, he won an Academy Award. At the Hot Toasty Rags, we were happy to pre-emptively right the wrong. He won his Best Supporting Actor award for Julius Caesar in 1953.
If you haven’t seen this 1981 classic, definitely rent it. It’s entertaining, even if you’re not rooting for anyone. The iconic song plays throughout, and it definitely has the “golden age” feel of the decade. If you end up liking it, you can rent the sequel for more quirky fun.
More Liza Minnelli movies here!
More Dudley Moore movies here!