Everyone seems to love this movie but I dont see it. I feel like im missing something. It is a horrible adaptation, they left out so many of the important character. Where is DW? What happend to Buster? Man I would even be happy to hear about what Mr Ratburn has been up to. I thought is was a funny movie but it just wasn't what it was suppose to be.

Arthur Bach (Dudley Moore) is a care-free drunken millionaire playboy who has no issues in frittering his life and wealth away on prostitutes and alcohol. However, his parents threaten to cut off his $750 million inheritance if he doesn't marry the equally wealthy Susan (Jill Eikenberry). Arthur is initially prepared to go ahead with the marriage (if only to get his inheritance), but complications ensue when he falls in love with everyday waitress Linda Marolla (Liza Minnell).I think one of the pivotal factors riding on how much you'll enjoy this film is whether you take to Dudley Moore's character and the problem for me is that for the most part I couldn't; although I'm prepared to concede that Moore was excellent whether he was playing the drunken fool or whether he was playing it straight. The problem I had is that the writers didn't give him the best material to work with; a lot of his drunken ramblings weren't funny and to be honest I found him to be annoying rather than funny when he was drunk - his constant laughing every time he told a joke felt like an obvious prompt to get the audience to laugh at material that clearly wasn't funny. As mentioned, I don't blame Moore for this and I honestly think he was absolutely superb, but his character was annoying a lot of the time.The real star of the show was John Gielgud as Arthur's butler Hobson who is a man who doesn't mince his words and isn't afraid to speak his mind. Gielgud was fantastic and delivered his dialogue in a dry and understated manner and his character was actually much funnier than the much more brash and obnoxious character that Moore portrayed (well they do say that less is more). I honestly think that this would have been close to being a disaster without Gielgud.Although the first 60 minutes is largely obnoxious and annoying, the final 30 minutes are very good - the scene where we witness Arthur looking after Hobson on his deathbed was genius and very touching. That scene for me was probably one of the best in the film. Although Arthur being sober for a month and then falling off the wagon a few hours before his wedding did feel a little forceful and a little too contrived.Despite some of the problems, this film does have a big heart and it's an interesting social commentary about loneliness and about showing that love and happiness are more important than wealth. I have to admit that even though the climax was somewhat predictable and not all of this worked for me, it did leave me with a smile on my face at the end.

Take the Peter Allen/Carole Bayer Sager Oscar-Winning song and place it in your head and walk around this magical city at night thinking of it as you view the great skyscrapers and beautiful parks. Put yourselves in the shoes of the wealthy wastrel Arthur and his down-trodden waitress girlfriend Linda, and you have the stuff that classic romantic comedy of a screwball comedy could be made of. Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli are a bit of an odd couple, but like William Powell and Carole Lombard in "My Man Godfrey", they are likably quirky. "You have all the qualities of somebody that one might meet in a bowling alley", Arthur's butler Hobson (John Gielgud) tells her, after Arthur saves her from being arrested for shoplifting. He sends her home in a chauffeured town car, and driver Bitterman steps up to give Minnelli the ride of her life, playing along with her desire to shock the neighbors in her lower middle class neighborhood. The 30's are back, and screwball comedy is finally alive and well again! "Arthur, he does as he pleases", Christopher Cross sings in the opening song. He's always drunk, but when he does momentarily sober up, you realize who he really is, especially when he tells the snooty Hobson off. Obviously, this bon viand loves being rich, but hates the responsibility of it, and when his matriarchal grandmother (the wonderful Geraldine Fitzgerald) threatens to disown him if he doesn't marry another rich socialite rather than the down-to-earth Linda, it's a showdown between the rich slob and the rich snobs who hold the purse strings which keep Arthur afloat in bubble baths, chauffeurs and booze.Dudley Moore was already known as a talented funny man, and after brief forays into film in the 1960's, had practically disappeared until he got the showy cameo in "Foul Play". "10" was his major come-back (more like a bounce back, he had never really been away), and "Arthur" was the frosting on the cake of his finally rising film career. Minnelli, after smashing success in the early 1970's, had bad luck with three flops in a row, yet continued success on live stage, wisely took a slight back seat to Moore, yet her presence is felt, even if future film appearances would be rare and sometimes even worse than the ones she had done between "Cabaret" and "Arthur". They play very well off of each other, yet Minnelli humbly gives the chemistry between Moore and Gielgud more focus. "Chicago's" original "Mr. Cellophane" (Barney Martin) is very amusing in a reconciliation with Minnelli (playing Linda's blue-collar dad) who briefly appeared in that show early in its run.Prior to the explosion of the blockbuster genre of the 1980's, popcorn films like this were major box-office fireworks. You didn't go to the movies to expect to down a bottle of aspirin later on; you went to be entertained, hug the date you were with, and leave smiling rather than hold your head in agony. "Arthur" has retained its reputation as a major hit of 1981 with everybody coming out smelling like a rose. Unfortunately, it wasn't the stepping stone for its director, Steve Gordon, who would die the following year. Had he lived, he could have gone on to be as legendary as the other hot directors of the year and kept the more gentle ideals of movie making afloat rather than many of the harsher ideals which have come along since.

(Plot) Arthur is a drunken playboy who's never had to work for any money in his life. His best friend is his butler Hobson (John Gieglund) and he can't stay away from precarious incidents when drunk. His life immediately changes when he's told by his father he has to marry a woman named Susan Johnson, or he's cut off from his inheritance. The real problem is that he doesn't love Susan, and falls in love with another girl (Liza Minnelli) As much as I enjoyed the remake (and I did quite a bit) the original is still the best version. Arthur is a simple and uncomplicated story that is just a treat to watch from beginning to end. The character of Arthur himself is endlessly childish, but an undeniably good hearted guy who just needs to grow up. The film's main strength comes from the terrific cast. Dudley Moore is mostly excellent as Arthur. I did feel he overdid it with the drunken laughter, which got on my nerves, but he has undeniable charisma. It's hard to feel empathy for a guy who has money, and hasn't worked for it, but Dudley managed to do it with his charisma. Liza Minnelli is absolutely adorable in her role as the love interest of Arthur's. She was cute as a button, and I enjoyed her immensely. My only complaint about the chemistry between Dudley Moore & Liza is not the actors themselves, but the way they are written. The attraction came a bit too fast for my liking, but that's a minor carp. John Gieglund gave my favorite performance in the film. His cynical, yet good hearted character stole the show for me on many occasions. He also had some classic lines that are unforgettable. The finale is filled with laughs and smiles. It's very wildFinal Thoughts: The remake is surprisingly quite good, but this is still the best. It's an extremely charming film that is impossible to dislike. Cave into it's charm, and thank me later for it. Very much recommended7.8/10