Arthur 2: On the Rocks
| Year: | 1988 |
| Director: | Bud Yorkin |
| Cast: | Dudley Moore, Liza Minelli, John Gielgud, Kathy Bates |
After the very Sidney Lumet, Samuel Goldwyn sensibility of the original, the producers went for a similar thing, but it was too long after the original, and much of the comedy was either lost or cancelled out by a too-serious storyline.
When Arthur and girlfriend Minelli try to adopt, we see the social worker telling him how seriously they treat alcoholism - but laughing at Arthur's drunken playboy antics was the whole point, wasn't it?
Either way, it shifts the whole tone into unfamiliar territory and makes any simple pleasure at enjoying the movie feel guilty.
When he loses all his money for some reason long dissolved in memory, Arthur and Linda have to learn to be poor, and the result in uninspiring and drab compared to the charm the original held for many.
When Arthur and girlfriend Minelli try to adopt, we see the social worker telling him how seriously they treat alcoholism - but laughing at Arthur's drunken playboy antics was the whole point, wasn't it?
Either way, it shifts the whole tone into unfamiliar territory and makes any simple pleasure at enjoying the movie feel guilty.
When he loses all his money for some reason long dissolved in memory, Arthur and Linda have to learn to be poor, and the result in uninspiring and drab compared to the charm the original held for many.