Arthur (1977)
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Reviews Counted: 30
Fresh: 27 | Rotten: 3
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 5.8/10
Critic Reviews: 6
Fresh: 4 | Rotten: 2
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 32,933
Movie Info
The ads for Arthur suggested that this was an obnoxious film about an obnoxious man, an eternally drunken millionaire indulging his every whim. Instead, Arthur (Dudley Moore) is a sweet, somewhat pathetic character whose millions have left him lonely and with no motivation in life. When the film opens, Arthur is on the threshold of an arranged marriage with simpering socialite Susan (Jill Eikenberry), whom he does not love. Everyone expects Arthur to behave himself, but nobody truly cares for
Jul 17, 1981 Wide
Aug 27, 1997
Orion Pictures Corporation
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Cast
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Dudley Moore
Arthur Bach -
Liza Minnelli
Linda Marolla -
John Gielgud
Mr. Hobson -
Geraldine Fitzgerald
Martha Bach -
Jill Eikenberry
Susan Johnson -
Stephen Elliott
Burt Johnson -
Ted Ross
Bitterman -
Barney Martin
Ralph Marolla -
Thomas Barbour
Stanford Bach -
Anne De Salvo
Gloria -
Marjorie Barnes
Hooker -
B. Constance Barry
Wedding Guest -
John Bentley
Perry -
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Maurice Copeland
Uncle Peter -
Dillon Evans
Oak Room Maitre D' -
Peter Evans
Preston -
Paul Gleason
Executive -
Richard Hamilton
Bill -
Helen Hanft
Perry's Wife -
Lou Jacobi
Plant Store Owner -
Bobo Lewis
Lady in Coffee Shop -
Marcella Lowery
Harriet -
Bob Maroff
Prize Man -
Irving Metzman
Security Guard -
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Ray Serra
Racetrack Owner -
Phyllis Somerville
Saleslady -
Lawrence Tierney
Man in Coffee Shop -
Edgard Mourino
Stuntman -
Paul Vincent
Oak Room Waiter -
Jerome Collamore
Johnson Butler -
Gordon Press
Prize Man -
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Florence Tarlow
Mrs. Nesbitt -
Mary Alan Hokanson
Secretary -
Justine Johnston
Aunt Pearl
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Arthur Trailer & Photos
All Critics (30) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (27) | Rotten (3) | DVD (6)
Arthur is a sparkling entertainment which attempts, with a large measure of success, to resurrect the amusingly artificial conventions of 1930s screwball romantic comedies.
Top CriticMoviegoers are hereby alerted to some good fun.
So little care has gone into the characterizations, the structure, and the situations that the film merely feints at significant comedy.
Overrated one-joke comedy.
Only someone with a heart of stone could fail to love a drunk like Arthur Bach.
Mr. Gordon's screenplay is full of funny things, and it's beautifully paced, but it's the performances that give the picture its true classiness.
...suffers from a hit-and-miss quality that wreaks havoc on its momentum...
Arthur has endeared himself to millions of viewers over the years.
Moore is predictable as the spoiled scion of wealth, Minnelli is terrific as his candid sweetheart, but Gielgud's loyal yet sarcastic servant steals the film.
Watch and enjoy, but avoid the completely disastrous sequel.
No. 1 on my list of favorite comedies. One of the funniest ever made.
A modern screwball comedy, in the vein of My Man Godfrey and other Depression era gems, Arthur was written and directed by Steve Gordon, who received an Oscar nomination for Original Screenplay.
Moore is a great, funny drunk...even though it is all so politically incorrect now.
One will delightfully get drunk between the moon and New York City by drinking up the spry essence in Gordon's romantic comedy Arthur
Simply comedy cold.
Arthur touches both the heart and the funny bone.
It's the movie we'll forever know Dudley Moore for -- and the late John Gielgud, too, who is put out to pasture about halfway through this classic comedy.
One of the best comedies of the 1980s; Moore's signature role
Unfortunately, by the end, saccharine dilutes much of the whiskey sour.
Dudley's drunk act wears thin quickly, but Liza is adorable and Sir John is perfection.
Audience Reviews for Arthur
Super Reviewer
Full Review: http://wp.me/p1Urcx-vN
Super Reviewer
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- Mr. Hobson: If I begin to die, please take this off my head. It is not how I wish to be remembered.
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- Arthur Bach: You must have hated this moose...
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- Arthur Bach: Don't you wish you were me? I know I do...
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- Mr. Hobson: As we can all see, it's a beautiful morning, which would seem to indicate that the night is over.
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- Arthur Bach: You, uh... probably ate out that night, what with that man lying in your kitchen.
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- Arthur Bach: You're a hooker? I just thought I was doing great with you!
Discussion Forum
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Fresh Links
Featured
Movie: ID: 10582 Title: Arthur Release Date: 1981-07-17 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 2 Status: 1
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Foreign Titles
- Arthur (1981) (DE)
- Arthur (1981) (UK)
Good for a few yuks, Arthur is a charming film with a lot of good comedic performances, but the best lines come from John Gielgud. Despite being primarily a dramatic actor, Gielgud is fantastic as Hobson, delivering dry, scornfully witty one-liners with astonishing ease. He's an upper-class snob, frequently delving into lower class language, and it's often hilarious. Gielgud shows scene larceny at its finest; Dudley Moore is only noticeably funny when Gielgud isn't stealing the lens.
The plot is predictable, and I didn't think the relationship between Arthur and Linda was well-developed. If I were to risk a substantial fortune for a woman, I would like a few more scenes with her, preferably when I was sober.
Overall, this is a good way to enjoy 100 minutes of innocuous, enjoyable diversion, especially because of Gielgud.