As another example of misleading trailers, Arthur (starring Russell Brand) suggested an incompetent rich boy who tries to live without the money so that he could be with his true love.  If he wanted to keep the money, he would have had to follow through on an arranged marriage to a woman he pretty much despised.  I was looking forward to enjoying the mayhem of this man-child trying to make it on his own.

Unfortunately, that part of the movie was glossed over.  We got to see one interview and one job.

So what constituted the rest of the movie?  The first half was basically the set up.  We get to know Arthur, his Nanny, his mother, his fiancee, her father, his table saw, and Arthur's true love.  It was enjoyable, but this is a movie about Arthur's growth from a boy to a man, so let's get on with it.

His short lived career ends with a whine "Work is hard!" and that's the last we hear about it.  From that point on we see Arthur waffle between what his birth mother wants and what he wants.  All of the depth comes from his Nanny (played excellently by Helen Mirren) who is essentially his foster mother.  She only wants what is best for Arthur, and so the struggle she faces between pushing him into a life of loveless luxury, or love-filled poverty, is more compelling than Arthur's plight for himself.  By the end though, we know Arthur will do what's right regardless of the consequences.

Well.  That last ten minutes is where the movie goes from a B to a D grade.  Stop watching when Arthur kisses his true love at the book reading and you'll be happier.  The ending you imagine is better than the ending you get.

The Good: Helen Mirren.  Iconic movie vehicles (Batmobile, Delorean, Mystery Machine.. etc)
The Bad: The comedy isn't strong enough to forgive the two (or one) dimensional characters
The Ugly: The ending.  I feel it undermines the very message this movie tries to portray.

If you find yourself watching Arthur, don't despair.  It's an okay movie, but I wouldn't recommend it over something you actually wanted to watch.