RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Arthur
Arthur

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Arthur (1981)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
89 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:27

Fresh:24

Rotten:3

Average Rating:7.3/10

Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: Arthur, a very rich, drunken ne'er-do-well, falls in love with a working-class shoplifter just as he is scheduled to marry a properly pedigreed society member. But if he doesn't marry the heiress,... Arthur, a very rich, drunken ne'er-do-well, falls in love with a working-class shoplifter just as he is scheduled to marry a properly pedigreed society member. But if he doesn't marry the heiress, he will not inherit a $750 million trust. So Arthur turns to his loyal butler, who is slowly dying, for help. The butler wishes to see Arthur prevail and so manipulates a situation in which the true lovers will come together--and get the loot. But that is a lot easier said than done. ARTHUR is a charming romantic comedy that features the role that Dudley Moore was born to play. Whether taking limo trips through Central Park with prostitutes, playing with his train set, having a bath in a top hat, or wanting just a tuna-fish sandwich, Arthur, perfectly portrayed by Moore, is one of the most likable onscreen characters in cinema history. John Gielgud as his loyal, dry-witted butler is an out-and-out riot. And Liza Minnelli turns in one of her sweetest performances as the woman Arthur's family demands he stop dating. Steve Gordon's film is an absolute joy to watch, a perfect piece of celluloid entertainment that never fails to please no matter how many times one has seen it. [More]

Starring: Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud, Geraldine Fitzgerald

Starring: Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud, Geraldine Fitzgerald, John Coleman

Director: Steve Gordon

Director: Steve Gordon

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Arthur

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Unfortunately, by the end, saccharine dilutes much of the whiskey sour.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/24/03
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Watch and enjoy, but avoid the completely disastrous sequel.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/08
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Overrated one-joke comedy.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
01/17/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
10/18/02
Brian J. Arthurs
Brian J. Arthurs
Beach Reporter (Southern California)

So little care has gone into the characterizations, the structure, and the situations that the film merely feints at significant comedy.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
04/01/08
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader

Only someone with a heart of stone could fail to love a drunk like Arthur Bach.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
10/23/04
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
10/10/05
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Even if Dudley Moore's performance weren't so darn funny, it would still be worth watching just for John Gielgud.

comment Comment
07/25/02
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

A modern screwball comedy, in the vein of My Man Godfrey and other Depression era gems, Arthur was written and directed by Steve Gordon, who received an Oscar nomination for Original Screenplay.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
06/28/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

It's the movie we'll forever know Dudley Moore for -- and the late John Gielgud, too, who is put out to pasture about halfway through this classic comedy.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/05/03
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

No. 1 on my list of favorite comedies. One of the funniest ever made.

comment Comment
08/04/07
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
FulvueDrive-in.com

No review available.

comment Comment
07/26/02
David Poland
David Poland
Hot Button

One of the best comedies of the 1980s; Moore's signature role

comment Comment
07/24/03
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette

Moore is a great, funny drunk...even though it is all so politically incorrect now.

comment Comment
10/15/04
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Kansas City Kansan

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

Late-in-the-day drunk comedy, saved by Moore's charm and John Gielgud

comment Comment
08/21/02
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

One will delightfully get drunk between the moon and New York City by drinking up the spry essence in Gordon's romantic comedy Arthur

comment Comment
06/26/04
Frank Ochieng
Frank Ochieng
Movie Eye

Dudley's drunk act wears thin quickly, but Liza is adorable and Sir John is perfection.

comment Comment
08/22/02
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

Simply comedy cold.

comment Comment
02/05/04
Widgett Walls
Widgett Walls
Needcoffee.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

Latest News for Arthur

February 26, 2009: Warners Hires Baynham for Arthur Remake Opens in new window
Warner Bros. is moving ahead with its Russell Brand-led remake of "Arthur," hiring "Borat" co-writer Peter Baynham to pen the screenplay. More...

December 04, 2008: Russell Brand Preps Arthur Remake Opens in new window
Yes, it's another in the endless list of remakes, but it makes oddly perfect sense: Russell Brand is developing a new version of the 1981 Dudley Moore/Liza Minnelli comedy... More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
14% 14% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
68% 68% Funny People
25% 25% Four Christmases
45% 45% Shorts

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
42
  • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
24
  • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
48
  • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
26
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
128
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
181
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
92
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
73
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
69
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
68
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
45
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
22
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
16
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
14
  • Duncan Jones Reteams With Kevin Spacey
2
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
16
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
21
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Arthur at Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.