Arthur Newman

2013 "If you don't have a life, get someone else's."
5.6| 1h41m| R| en| More Info
Released: 26 April 2013 Released
Producted By: Cross Creek Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://arthur-newman.com/
Info

A story of a man who fakes his own death and assumes a new identity in order to escape his life, who then moves in with a woman who is also trying to leave her past behind.

Genre

Drama

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Director

Dante Ariola

Production Companies

Cross Creek Pictures

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Arthur Newman Audience Reviews

Jeanskynebu the audience applauded
Console best movie i've ever seen.
Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.
Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
SnoopyStyle 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.
adi_2002 Wallace is sick of his life, the fact that the relation with his son is a bad one, his love life is a mess and decides to assume another identity, the one of Arthur Newman and decides to go Terre Haute Indiana where he is convinced that a good career as a professional golf played waits him. On the sun bed of the motel where she is checked in he sees a mysterious stranger, a girl who likes to be called Mike. He takes her to a hospital and rescues her from the degrading situation in witch she was when he find her. Now Mike wants to accompany him in his trip but little that she knows that he is not the only one who has one identity and she has a secret of her own. Yes, Arthur nothing because nothing interesting happens in this movie besides the wasted talents of three good actors Colin Firth, Anne Heche and Emily Blunt. I wonder what they where thinking when they read the scrip or that they really read it in fact. It's slow with long and boring sequences, some gestures of tenderness between the main characters but nothing serious. Don't waste your time with this one. It's the kind of movie that demonstrates that even if they are included some important names of cinema, doesn't really mean that the picture is good.
Steve Pulaski Every now and then actors with sizable names do something in the industry known as "slumming." This is a film with a significantly smaller budget that has well-known actors. This can often give actors range and prove to the public that they are capable of handling roles in smaller movies. Sometimes such an action can pay off. Look at Greg Kinnear in Little Miss Sunshine, Matt Damon in Gerry. Such roles can pay off immensely for actors and show diversity in character acting.And other times the film itself can be completely unnecessary and a very dull slog despite actors' good intentions. So is the case with Collin Firth, who gives a fairly strong performance but can't overcome the offbeat eccentricities and the rather lame fable on the American Dream of starting ones' life over. Material like this sounds good on paper and in our heads, as we can relate this back to the ideology of the American Dream and the pursuit of happiness, but rarely is the matter very compelling on camera. This especially is the case with Fith's Arthur Newman character being very vanilla and, despite unique efforts, rather ordinary.Firth's character's birthname is Wallace Avery, but he feels he was born inhabiting someone else's life. A golf professional, but still unsatisfied with life's offerings, he takes it upon himself to change his identity to that of "Arthur Newman." Soon after this decision is made, Arthur finds a barely-conscious woman outside named Charlotte Fitzgerald (Emily Blunt), traveling under the fictional name "Michaela" or "Mike." Arthur's timely actions of taking the woman to the hospital give her back her consciousness after an apparent overdose. When she comes back, Michaela and Wallace take a liking to each other and decide to embark on an impromptu roadtrip to Indiana, where they can live the more solemn life they've always wanted.Firth and Blunt are both gifted character actors, with Firth winning an Oscar for his beautiful portrayal of King George IV on The King's Speech and Blunt coming off several great comedies last year with the directing likes of Judd Apatow and Lynn Shelton. Their chemistry and breezy dialog exchanges are the faint, weakening glue holding the film together before it crumbles. Arthur Newman's serious problem is its redundant scenes of self-discovery and disregarding ones' personal life for the benefit of having a cleaner, fresher slate. This concept hooks better as just that - a concept that comes up over drinks, dinner, or a nice long walk down the street. Not a ninety-three minute film with the profound qualities of a pamphlet.Now, nearly every idea could make a great film, depending on the way a director, writer, actor, and cinematographer choose to handle the material. I have no doubt that Arthur Newman could've been a terrific film if taken with a fresher, more intriguing direction. The one present here gives every interesting event a "been-there-done-that" quality. Consider the scene when Arthur attempts to save the life of Michaela. This scene should be gripping and terrifying, but it winds up falling completely flat thanks to the flat direction taken by Dante Ariola.Arthur Newman is a wholesome parable at least in the regard that it tells the story with convincing performances and a touch of realism. However, this does not excuse the bland writing and extraordinarily brave premise made turned more into a pedestrian-piece of fiction. Seeing Firth go slumming could definitely be a great thing in the future, but he best choose to slum in places where there is a need for more than a willing actor.Starring: Colin Firth and Emily Blunt. Directed by: Dante Ariola.
Tony Heck "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.