Arthur (1981)

Directed by Steve Gordon. Starring Dudley Moore, John Gielgud, Liza Minnelli, Jill Eikenbery, Stephen Elliott, Ted Ross, Thomas Barbour, Geraldine Elizabeth, Barney Martin, Anne De Salvo. [PG]

In his quintessential film role, Moore plays the titular spoiled drunk, an heir to a billion-dollar-fortune who must either marry a dull socialite (Eikenberry) or lose his inheritance, but then he falls for a working-class woman (Minnelli) he meets on the street. Agreeable comedy moves in fits and starts; the structure is rickety and it relies too heavily on situational set pieces that barely string together, but the laughs come just often enough (and the dramatic underpinnings are just poignant enough) to keep up an entertaining show. Moore is a soused, cackling delight even when the japery runs on too long, while Gielgud’s deadpan dry wag of a butler steals most of his scenes and won the acclaimed stage and film actor the only Oscar of his career. Directorial debut for Gordon (who also wrote the script), but sadly, it would also be his last, as he died of a heart attack the year after the film’s release. Also won an Academy Award for Original Song (“Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)”). Look for Lawrence Tierney in a small part.

68/100