Melancholic road movie with great performances
Imagine my surprise when out of the blue and without any pre-release buzz or ads this movie showed on a single screen for all of Greater Cincinnati this weekend. I figured that this will not stick around very long and hence I went to see it right away.
"Arthur Newman" (2013 release; 100 min.) brings the story of a man (played by Colin Firth) who is in the dumps: he just got fired from his job, his ex-wife does not care for him, and his 13 yr. old son hates the mere sight of him. As the movie opens, we see Colin Firth acquiring a new identity, actually someone who passed away a few years ago named Arthur Newman. He then fakes his own death and takes off, as a "new man". Arthur plans on driving from Florida to Terre Haute, IN, where a job as a golf instructor awaits. But on his first night on the road, he makes the acquaintance of a young woman (played by Emily Blunt), who herself is running away from her own troubles, and using her twin sister's identity ("Mike") along the...
Fake Your Death; Hit the Road
Be careful what you wish for! Sometimes the dream is far better than the reality, but it is the dream that drives our eponymous hero to plan and execute some drastic action. This R-rated dramedy is more drama than comedy; furthermore, if you have any trouble hearing dialogue, you might want to consider closed captions, either in a theater, or wait for the DVD. You don't want to miss the finer points in this plot.
We watch:
* Colin Firth ("A Single Man" and "The King's Speech") speaking American (!), is Arthur Newman, a frustrated wanna-be golf pro who, after a down-hill slide, has decided to reinvent himself. "New man," get it? He cleverly fakes his own death and hits the road.
* Emily Blunt ("Your Sister's Sister") also speaking American, is Mike, a young woman with nothing to lose. She encounters our hero on the road and they proceed to go adventuring...
* Anne Heche ("Cedar Rapids") is Mena, the girl he left behind. She knows he's boring, but she...
Good movie with great acting that is worth watching but be prepared. It's a little depressing. I do recommend though. I say B
"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...
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