Arthur Newman

This is a fun couple, even if what they do isn't always quite legal. In fact, the more illegal, the more fun their adventures are.

Emily Blunt does an amazing job here. Mike goes through so many changes, starting out as goth and insane when we first meet her, then pretty but somewhat unbalanced, then quite likable. She does impressions of the people she pretends to be, and does them so well. Sometimes she can be normal, and sometimes she is going off the deep end. And then there are the really sad moments. And she looks good in her underwear.

Colin Firth is a different matter. I couldn't imagine Arthur being someone I would actually like, and yet eventually he comes across as the voice of reason and basically carries the movie, while his wacky "girlfriend" provides comic relief or shows a vulnerable side. When he is needed Arthur is very helpful, and eventually he doesn't seem like the loser Wallace was, but is quite convincing as if he is established in a career and confident of who he is.

Anne Heche does okay and is somewhat likable. What I like best about her was her beautiful long hair. When I first learned who she was she had very short hair.

Lukas Hedges is likable enough as the son, but he doesn't seem all that concerned about his father, and if anything, he seems inappropriately close to Wallace's girlfriend. Not enough is done to develop his character and we don't even hear much from the boy's family.

We see a lot of nice scenery on this road trip, and I don't know where it all is, but North Carolina was mentioned a lot in the credits, and that's where I live. One sign on the interstate was obviously on I-95 because it showed towns I knew about, though I've never been on that stretch of highway. There was a great looking bridge at the beach which didn't get nearly enough screen time, and we didn't really get a good look at it.

Eventually, important lessons are learned, and maybe we have a happy ending. I don't think it's quite what I was hoping for but it satisfies.

Overall, I had a pretty good time.

"So you just ditched Wallace Avery for a total strangers half baked promise?" Wallace Avery (Firth) is a divorced man who hates his job and his life. Wanting to start fresh he decides to stage his own death and head to Indiana to become a golf teacher. Changing his name to Arthur Newman he is on his way when he meets a woman named Mike (Blunt). Both on the run from their own lives the begin to assume other people's identities but memories of their old lives begin to creep back up. This movie first and foremost has great acting and is very interesting and worth watching. On the other hand though it is a little slow in parts and seems repetitive. This is a movie of fiction but has the feel of a true story. I do recommend this movie but it isn't really a movie you can watch over and over because it is pretty depressing. It's hard to talk about this movie with out giving anything away and it really is a pretty good movie but don't expect a happy movie. Overall, a good movie with great acting that is worth watching but be prepared. I give it a B.

Failed golfer Wallace Avery (Colin Firth) is running away from his life. He fakes his own death and drives under false ID Arthur Newman cross-country to start a new golf pro job. He finds a woman struggling on a patio chair at his motel. He takes her to the hospital suffering from a cough medicine overdose. Her ID says Michaela Fitzgerald (Emily Blunt) but she is also faking it with her twin sister's ID. Her name is actually Charlotte. As the two of them get closer, they are pursued by his girlfriend Mina Crawley (Anne Heche) and his estranged son Kevin.

The mystery of their pasts is compelling for a little while but at some point, it has to be compelling on its own. Their lives aren't that interesting. The two great leads bring something into these damaged roles but it's barely compelling. I question their reasonableness but their characters are not that reasonable. The less compelling part is the B-story with the girlfriend and son. I somewhat care about the leads but not so much with the supporting characters. It adds up to something just below pass.

I watched Arthur Newman simply because I found it by accident. While it's not the best film I've seen, I do believe everyone did a credible job with very little material. Colin Firth and Emily Blunt are good, doing the best they could with the somewhat underdeveloped characters. However, I feel the characters are presented as such on purpose, to make of them what we personally will.

The film moves slowly, but is in no way boring. An experienced film buff would be fine with its pace and be relatively engaged in the story line as well.

Arthur Newman is not for a generic audience. It requires a specific taste in films to be enjoyed for what it is - a thought-provoking story

This road movie, featuring solid performances from its main players, doesn't seem to know where it's going. While "Arthur Newman" presents many quirky or compelling tableaux, I was rather frustrated by the filmmaker's (Dante Ariola) detours and dead ends. Or perhaps it was writer Becky Johnston's tepid story that ran out of fuel.

Frankly, I didn't care one way or another if the main characters ever resolved their respective conflicts, and after the first thirty minutes I felt like I was simply watching the same scene over and over again, like an endless roundabout. I was so uninvolved in the relationship(s) that it felt like nothing of any real substance was truly at stake or on the line.