Russell Brand brandishes a prophetic upside-down 18 in the 2011 remake of Arthur.
Arthur is a jive turkey
This just in: Arthur, the 2011 remake of the 1981 Dudley Moore film and starring Russell Brand, may be in the running for worst-reviewed (so far) movie of 2011.
Arthur hasn’t even officially opened, but already it’s achieved a lowly 19% approval rating at RottenTomatoes.com.
Here are a few choice snippets of what critics have to say:
Geoff Berkshire, Metromix.com: “A symbol of Hollywood at its most creatively bankrupt.”
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: “I really started to wonder: Why are we sitting and watching this dithering, half-cocked egomaniac?”
Karina Longworth, Village Voice: “This remake seems to exist only to zap the original of its minor pleasures.”
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: “If you must see Arthur, choose a theater that serves alcohol. You’ll need it.”
Joanna Langfield, The Movie Minute: “Why?”
And, in the interests of fairness, one of the few positive comments:
Christopher Lloyd, Sarasota Herald-Tribune: “Russell Brand creates a distinctive character based on his own persona, rather than trying to mimic Dudley Moore. He is by turns hilarious and touching, with an inner core of sweetness we haven’t seen from him before.”
Between the dismal reviews for last week’s Hop, starring Russell Brand’s voice, and now Arthur, the comedian might have to do a career reimagining.
