There will be those who castigate the film for making it's central character an alcoholic, but I think it's done all in good fun, and the movie itself is quite funny. It has it's share of charm too, especially in the personal relationship Arthur (Dudley Moore) has with his butler Hobson (John Gielgud) and driver Bitterman (Ted Ross). The story line keeps the viewer on the fence regarding which way Arthur will go regarding marriage, but you sit there rooting for Linda Marolla (Liza Minnelli), even if Susan Johnson (Jill Eikenberry) wasn't such a bad person in her own right. Just a tad too privileged and expecting to get her way as usual. The character of Hobson was clearly my favorite here; you'd have to go all the way back to the late Thirties to find a comparable personality. Edward E. (E.E.) Clive was a perfect deadpan foil while serving as butler in the Bulldog Drummond series. He always cracked me up the way Gielgud does here. This film even has one of the most popular Top 40 song hits of that year with Christopher Cross's 'Best That You Can Do'. For light entertainment, you certainly can do worse than "Arthur", it's not often you'll find an actor like Dudley Moore who's maniacal laugh can be annoying and infectious at the same time.
Review of Arthur
