A remake of the 1981 movie, Arthur stars Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner and Greta Gerwig. Arthur (Brand) is a spoiled playboy, spending money, boozing and giving his nanny, Hobson (Mirren), a helluva time keeping up with him. But just as Arthur begins falling for the quirky Naomi (Gerwig) he is forced to marry Susan (Garner) in order to keep his inheritance.
Brand was surprisingly palatable as the childish Arthur; while it may not have been a stretch for him, his comedic timing and British sensibilities were hilarious and even his more serious scenes were rather sincere. Mirren nearly stole the show as the matronly Hobson. It’s clear she has both dramatic and comedic chops. Garner also showed her acting mettle, taking on the unexpected role of villain. Unfortunately for Gerwig, though, Garner had loads more chemistry with Brand, making the Arthur/Naomi relationship utterly flat and unbelievable. And because the whole movie hinged on this relationship, much of the movie fell apart. Read the full review here.
Your Highness stars Danny McBride, James Franco and Natalie Portman in a stoner comedy transplanted to a medieval fantasy setting. The concept is quite hilarious, and the first few minutes of the movie are enjoyable; however, the initial novelty of the raunchy humor juxtaposed with the medieval setting was not enough to make the unoriginal jokes any more funny. Your Highness featured some stunning visuals and Weta’s work in the creature department was outstanding (as always). But blockbuster-level visuals were not enough to hide the fact that Your Highness was a wonderful idea that should have been kept to a five minute Funny Or Die short. Read the full review here.
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And don’t forget to check back tomorrow for reviews on Hanna and SCRE4M!
