Film

Arthur

Name: Arthur
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Released: 1981
Cast: Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Jill Eikenberry

Other titles called Arthur: the 1996 series (PBS).

Comedy

A drunk millionaire playboy faces an ultimatum: marry for money or lose his inheritance. What could be a cynical premise becomes something sweeter—a comedy about privilege colliding with genuine feeling, carried by Dudley Moore's shambling charm and John Gielgud's withering wit. Funny, occasionally touching, utterly of its time.

TMDb rating

3.3

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love sozzled, big-hearted comedies where a charming goof's rambunctious ways matter more than the plot, and Dudley Moore's rubber-faced drunk routine is pure pleasure.

Skip it if you find a lovable drunk's antics wearing thin, or prefer a comedy where the laughs come from sharper wit than gentle, slightly sentimental warmth.

What it asks of you: At ninety-seven minutes it moves briskly, keeping the silliness up front while a softer, wistful undertow runs quietly beneath it.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Trading Places1983

Another '80s comedy about wealth and class, featuring Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd in a scheme that swaps their lives. Sharp social satire wrapped in genuine laughs and real affection for its characters.

But The premise is contrived and the pacing occasionally creaks. Some satirical points feel more obvious now than they did then.

Ghostbusters1984

Bill Murray at his most charming and irreverent, playing a character who uses comedy as a shield against seriousness. Same era, same blend of humour and heart, with an ensemble cast feeding off each other's energy.

But It's broadly comedic and built on special effects that haven't aged gracefully. The tone shifts wildly between schlock and sentiment.

Breakfast at Tiffany's1961

Another wealthy drifter learning to connect with another person. Audrey Hepburn's Holly Golightly is aristocratic and lost in much the way Arthur is—privileged but fundamentally alone until love complicates things.

But The racial caricature is appalling and indefensible. The romance is also very much a product of its era and its assumptions about women.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Arthur

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Remains of the Day1993

Both are about wealthy men paralysed by the world they've inherited, learning too late that money and status are poor substitutes for actual connection. The difference is Arthur gets to escape; Stevens never does.

Anthony Hopkins as a butler whose entire life has been defined by duty and propriety—he's served the same employer for decades without ever being honest about his feelings. A film about someone learning, far too late, that sacrifice isn't always noble.

But It's slow, restrained, and deliberately quiet. If you want a movie that explains its emotions, this isn't it. Watching someone fail to connect with love is sometimes painful in ways that feel punishing.

It Happened One Night1934

A runaway heiress and a cynical reporter fall for each other across class lines. The template for romantic comedies: smart dialogue, genuine chemistry, and the idea that money doesn't buy happiness.

But It's nearly ninety years old. The pacing and some of the gender dynamics feel very much of another era.

Splash1984

Tom Hanks as an ordinary guy who falls for a mermaid played by Daryl Hannah. Same sweet earnestness as Arthur, same '80s lightness, same sense that love arrives when you stop looking for the obvious thing.

But The magical-woman-who-exists-to-teach-the-man premise hasn't aged well. It's also genuinely silly in ways that don't always work.

Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru.2013

A meticulately constructed romantic comedy about writers who hate romantic comedies. It understands the DNA of the form because it's dissecting it from inside. Smart and oddly moving.

But It's very cerebral and occasionally gets too clever for its own good. If you want emotional sweep rather than structural wit, this isn't it.

Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. poster

When Harry Met Sally...1989

Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan navigate friendship and love over years, with intelligence and real chemistry. It's about two people actually talking to each other, which is rarer than it sounds.

But The New York setting and intellectual sparring might feel precious. Some of the gender observations haven't aged as well as others.

The Philadelphia Story1940

Cary Grant, James Stewart, and Katherine Hepburn in a film about a wealthy woman who needs rescuing from her own snobbishness by two men who actually see her. Witty, fast, and humane.

But It's very of its time. The gender politics are complicated, and the resolution depends on the woman learning to be less herself.

Tootsie1982

Dustin Hoffman as an out-of-work actor who dresses as a woman to get a role. It's funny and warm, with real insights about empathy, but also genuinely strange and surprisingly touching in its earnestness.

But The premise is inherently uncomfortable and the film doesn't always grapple with that honestly. It's also longer than it needs to be.

After the Rehearsal1984

Both use humour and affection as a mask for loneliness and entitlement. Arthur figures out how to take it off; Bergman's film suggests that some men never do.

Ingmar Bergman's chamber film: one actor, one director, one young woman, one evening. A conversation that circles repeatedly around love, creation, manipulation, and whether age and power give you the right to everything you want. Hypnotic and unsettling.

But It's a three-character play shot in one apartment. There's no plot, only talking. It's in Swedish. It will feel very slow and very difficult if you're not ready for it.