2 Guys 1 Couch

This movie is a remake of the 1981 movie with Dudley Moore. That being said, I am not going to compare it to that movie. I’m not a fan of comparing movies that were made 30 years apart. Maybe it’s just me.

Russell Brand was good as the walking cold-sore version of Arthur. He played the role of completely irresponsible, overly drunk alcoholic who sleeps with a lot of ladies really well. It’s kind of his thing. It’s what he does. Sorry Katy.

I, as a man, enjoyed all the gadgets and toys that were displayed in the movie. Here are a few of the items: The Batmobile (circa Michael Keaton), a magnetic floating bed and a Darth Vader helmet. I’ve watched far less interesting tech shows on G4.

The movie was a lot of what I expected. If you expect too much from this movie then you haven’t seen the original and you haven’t seen Russell Brand in anything before this. Here’s the rundown, Arthur is always getting into trouble. He is primarily raised by hisNanny, Hobson (Helen Miren). His real mother feels that he is giving her a bad name with all of his antics so she arranges a marriage with Jennifer Garner’s character who is very easy to hate. Arthur objects, but is forced to agree or throw away his chance to accessing his mother’s fortune and the unruly lifestyle he is so accustomed to.

He runs into a Central Station tour guide played by Greta Gerwig. This is where the movie seems to fall short. I think they were going for the artsy “aww shucks” approach with her, but she seemed to over-act a bit.

Brand, who is a trained actor, shows glimpses that he’s not a one trick pony. We may see him in some more dramatic type of roles in the future. I hope that’s not the case. Not because I don’t think he will excel but because he’s good at what he does best.

Highlights - Hobson (Helen Miren) and Arthur (Brand) have a great chemistry that you can only wish he had with with co-star Gerwig.

-Shane

3 out of 5 stars