Movie Review Arthur (1982)

Arthur (1981) 

Directed by Steve Gordon

Written by Steve Gordon 

Starring Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, Sir John Gielgud 

Release Date July 17th, 1981 

Published July 16th, 2011 

Arthur Bach has everything a man could want; millions of dollars and all of the toys it can buy. Arthur has been wasting his family money for decades but now his father is ready to insist that he grow up. The plan is for Arthur to marry a socialite named Susan Johnson and then take a grown up, responsible job with his father’s company.

If Arthur refuses to marry Susan he will be cut off from the family fortune, more than 750 million dollars. Arthur’s troubles are only increased when he meets Linda Marolla (Liza Minnelli) as she is caught shoplifting at a high end department store. Arthur steps in to rescue her and they both find that they have a terrific chemistry and attraction.

Arthur is smitten but of course he must marry Susan. Meanwhile, Arthur’s long time servant and best friend Hobson (Sir John Gielgud) is hiding a secret from Arthur while working to assure that Arthur and Linda will have some kind of connection. Can Arthur give up all of the money to be with Linda?

“Arthur” has somewhat odd charms. As written and directed by Steve Gordon, who sadly died just a year after the film was released, “Arthur” is essentially about a drunken, millionaire man-child who we are supposed to love. It’s not exactly a recipe for a sympathetic character but as played by Dudley Moore, in an Oscar nominated performance, it works. You just can’t help but like Arthur.

Dudley Moore makes you forget while you are watching “Arthur” that alcoholism is not supposed to be charming and funny. Somehow, Moore’s stumbling and slurring only make him more appealing. That is in part because we know it’s just a movie but also in part because Dudley Moore is so very funny and it’s easy to forgive funny.

Sir John Gielgud is the scene stealer of “Arthur.” Early on in the film Gielgud’s surprisingly tart tongue catches you off guard. As the film goes on Gielgud’s remarkably well timed insults and quips fall further into the background but never miss their mark. Gielgud was indeed very deserving of his 1981 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

“Arthur” also won an Oscar for the awful original song “Arthur’s Theme” the truly brutal pop tune written by Burt Bachrach and performed by Christopher Cross. Somehow, 30 years later, the lyric “When you get caught between the moon and New York City” remains the thing most remembered about this comedy classic. And to this day no one knows what that lyric means.

Regardless of the awful theme song “Arthur” is a comedy classic. Fans loved Dudley Moore so much in the role that we’ve all mostly forgotten about the abysmal sequel, “Arthur 2: On the Rocks.” Our collective amnesia on just how truly awful that sequel was is yet another testament to how much we love the original “Arthur.”