Katy Perry Saves Russell Brand From A Soggy Arthur Remake: Photos
WILL Arthur launch Russell Brand into the US as an actor of note? The 1981 original turned Dudley Moore into a big star and win an Oscar for John Gielgud. Or will Brand do for Arthur what Jude Law did for Alfie: make the original look even better? Is the film any good and is Brand as likeable and cuddly as Moore?
The experts have watched it:
“Russell Brand gives a career-killing performance,” David Edelstein, New York magazine
“Make no mistake, people are going to hate Brand in this” – Pete Vonder Haar , Houston Chronicle
“He should follow his creative heart and stop going for the big Hollywood money. Let him do something that is more about taking risks” – Eddie Murphy
Or as Jeremy Kay puts it:
It pains me to say it but Russell Brand is shaping up to be a major attraction for US moviegoers. The British comic voices the lead character in Universal’s Hop and stars in Warner Bros’ Arthur remake – currently No 1 and No 2 in the US respectively.
But the film is not just about Brand. Helen Mirren is also on it, Richard Brooks writes:
I’m curious why a great actress like Mirren now appears in so many dud or disappointing movies. Earlier this year, it was Brighton Rock — not a really bad film, but the memory of the 1947 screen adaptation of the Graham Greene novel remains vivid. Before that, Mirren was in the dire Red; the embarrassing The Tempest; Love Ranch, which, mercifully, went straight to DVD, even though it was directed by her hubbie, Taylor Hackford; the stuffy The Last Station; State of Play, a second-rate version of the excellent BBC TV drama; and Inkheart, a worthy yet pointless film about a bookseller. Dame Helen, do you really need the money? Or is your agent a poor judge of scripts?
Arthur is an easy, soupy remake, more in keeping with soggy efforts to squeeze life from an established hit, like the weak Steve Martin–themed Pink Panther and the 1998 version of Psycho (truly dire) than David Cronenberg’s masterly reworking of The Fly.
Still, it is only one film. And being a star in Hollywood is not all about having hit after hit: it’s about being recognisable, pals with big stars (Brand is married to Katy Perry), out there and compliant…
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Posted: 20th, April 2011 | In: Film, Key Posts Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
