Arthur (1981) - Perhaps The Most Natural Comedy I've Ever Seen

I'm so old I recall this being a huge hit, though I was way too young to watch it (no, really, I was in elementary school).  I dove in to see what the hubbub was about, and found one of the funniest comedies of the 1980s.

The short plot is a spoiled rich drunk cruises through life without a care and with a butler, chauffeur, and hundreds of millions to spend at his leisure. His family has had enough and, at the very least, wants him to marry another wealthy family's daughter, which he despises even though she's pretty incredible! If he doesn't, he is cut off and broke. Anyway, he falls for a Brooklyn waitress and has to decide whether love or money is more important.

So, it's a story as old as time. However, it's not the story and settings that make this movie work. It's the little quips and side comments that just crack you up. There was a ton of ad-libbing, and Moore leaned into it. He's bonkers incredible here and legitimately carries the entire movie on his shoulders. You like this drunken man-child, you root for him even though he's a spoiled brat, and you want him to be happy even though he already has everything. 

The entire casting works. Liza Minelli was a unique choice as the Queens waitress he falls for over the perfect fiancé. Mia Farrow, Farrah Fawcett, Goldie Hawn, Barbara Hershey, Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange, Bette Midler, and even Meryl Streep were considered for the role of Linda. John Gielgud won an Oscar playing the put-upon, dry-witted butler Hobson. How he almost steals the movie out from under Moore is yet another bonkers thing about this film.

A random stranger's opinion - It's a carefree comedy that relies on the viewer being okay watching a drunk fumble his way through the upper crust of NYC. I didn't think I'd be that guy, but here we are with a..

Grade: A-