Watch Arthur Newman For Free

Must See Movie...

Good movie but grossly overrated

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Like many of the viewers I chose to watch this for the stars, King George VI and Queen Victoria (Firth and Blunt) But I would have given it a pass if I had looked up the reviews before taking it out of my local library . Big mistake.Never have I seen a film so consistently panned, and never have I thought the critics so consistently mistaken! Both the professional critics and other amateur viewers. To be fair, the latter gave it slightly better ratings, but not much better. Few of either stripe liked it.Granted, it is not an easy film to watch. Its not a comedy and its not a road movie though it is zany and it does take place on the road. In fact it is in a category all its own, and for anyone who understands Colin Firth's line "Family just crushes your heart, doesn't it?", it is a deeply moving observation of what it means to be human. I won't say I came away from the movie feeling good, but I did come away feeling less alone.These are the last words spoken in the film, before each of the leading characters returns separately from their wild escapade to shoulder their family responsibilities. We see, and feel, them doing this with no words spoken.Charlotte(Mike) "Good bye, Wallace"Wallace(Arthur) "Don't worry. I know where to find you!"I give it 10 out of 10 Don't miss it.

Arthur Newman (Colin Firth) is trying to live a new life. He was formerly a struggling golf pro and shipping manager with a nice-looking girlfriend (Anne Heche). But, things were not going well. He was also estranged from his almost-a-teen son. So, since he lives near Jacksonville Florida, he fakes his own death by drowning and takes off. Newman, a fake name for his newly acquired life, is on his way to Terre Haute Indiana to become a posh country club golf pro, with made-up credentials, for the most part. But, on the long journey, he stumbles upon a lady, Mike, er, Michaela, (Emily Blunt) who may be suffering more than he is. She is drunk and Arthur views her being taken to jail by the police. Giving a made up story, Arthur springs her from jail and stays with her until she is sober again. Tentatively, they strike up a friendship, as Mr. Newman learns that Mike may not be her REAL name, either. In any case, Mike agrees to go to Indiana with this handsome man. Along the way, they strangely break into houses that are temporarily empty, try on clothes, take pictures and pretend even more. But, as Arthur soon learns, Mike does have some truly intense baggage in her past. Will they succeed in forging new lives without consequences? This somber, touching film is dead serious most of the time. Oh, the scenes from the dress-up days have humor and there are occasionally funny lines. But, mostly, this movie deals with very complex issues and is not really a light-hearted flick. Naturally, Firth and Blunt, excellent thespians both, do fine work and look great together. Also wonderful is the changing scenery, the supporting cast, and the courage to tackle the anything-but-fairy-tale life of its two main characters. No, its not a movie to watch when you, the viewer, have some sobering problems in your own life. But, fans of these two British thespians will want to try this one, too.

This movie was almost too much for me. I couldn't go through it at once. I had to stop it around 20 minutes before the end, and continue three days later. No, it wasn't scary, no it wasn't too sad, it wasn't bad, and it wasn't too special, either. It seemed shallow on the surface, but getting deeper and deeper as you peal the layers of the main characters - Wallace/Arthur and Charlotte/Mike. They were too dysfunctional, yet too perfect for each other. It is sometimes weird how not opposites, but similarities attract. And that attraction is much stronger, although with a string of weirdness. It's a way of approving yourself, finding comfort and finding accomplice in being yourself ... Two reasons made me stop. Firstly, the conflict in me caused by the depressive tone of the movie versus the fact that I liked Wallace and Charlotte and on some level justified their actions, especially Wallace's. And second because I knew they have to get apart. That was the only answer. That was the right thing to do. However, I was happy to see growth in both characters at the end, and the stable and rightful personality of Wallace overpowering his weaknesses and momentary confusion, as well as influencing Charlotte to find that better person in herself. I didn't really like Anne Heche's character. She was cold, dull and in a way stuck to a routine. Although Wallace seemed boring on the outside, he wasn't with Charlotte. He was daring, funny and passionate. He was in the here and now. Minus the crimes they did, Wallace deserves such kind of relationship.I'm giving this movie an 8/10. It made me think, it made me re-think some of my personal stuff, it made me more grateful for what I have, even if only for an hour and a half, it made me realize that you can become whoever you want to become, but you can never escape from yourself.Line that will stay with me: "It's a lot easier to love a dead man, isn't it?"

Director Dante Ariola may not have a lot of credentials as yet, but taking chances with stories such as this one written by Becky Johnston (Seven Years in Tibet, The Prince of Tides, etc), stories that dare take the unexpected path for how people are finding the human condition rather chaotic, suggests that we have a very creative artist in the making. Blessed with a quartet of fine actors in the leading roles and a small but impressive supporting cast, this film is just far enough off center to make it refreshingly refreshing.The story follows the mid-life travails of sad sack FedEx floor manager Wallace Avery (Colin Firth) who is estranged from his ex-wife and angry young son Grant (Sterling Beaumon) and spends his time with his 'lover' Mina (Anne Heche in a fine performance) who loves him despite the fact that Wallace is boring. He decides to refuse to face a life he hates, stages his own death and buys himself a new identity as Arthur Newman. However, Arthur's road trip towards a new life is interrupted by the arrival of the beautiful but fragile Mike (Emily Blunt), who is also trying to leave her past behind: her mother committed suicide, her sister is in a mental institution, and Mike has assumed her sister's name to avoid having to create a life of her own. Drawn to one another, these two damaged souls begin to connect as they break into empty homes and take on the identities of the absent owners - elderly newlyweds, a high- roller and his Russian lady, among others - all supposedly brief moments on their road trip to Terre Haute, Indiana where Arthur believes he has a job as a golf pro - the promise of a chance encounter with one strange Fred Willoughby (the gifted David Andrews). That goal is a dead end, and through this process, Arthur and Mike discover that what they love most about each other are the identities they left at home, and their real journey begins.Colin Firth and Emily Blunt are consummate actors and bring these odd characters to life: they successfully manage comedic situations but always hold closely to the sad underpinnings of their characters' tortured souls. The story is odd, being a variation of a road trip by very lonely and desperate people, but somehow it enters the head and heart and is cause for contemplation. Grady Harp