Movie Review: A long and winding road
After a successful career making television ads, director Dante Ariola tries his hand at his first feature film. Arthur Newman is a meloncholy romantic comedy written by Becky Johnston.
Colin Firth as Arthur Newman and Emily Blunt as Michaela “Mike” Fitzgerald
Exploring the subject of identity, Ariola depicts the complexity of remaining true to one’s self.
Colin Firth as Arthur Newman and Emily Blunt as Michaela “Mike” Fitzgerald, allow the film to flow smoothly from one scene to the next, as obscure as the connections may be.
As a damaged and desperate soul, Firth takes on the role of Wallace Avery – a young man who is a failed golfer, recently fired from his job as a FedEx employee. Hated by his ex-wife and son, Wallace fakes his own death. He buys himself a new identity, a nobody named Arthur Newman.
Wanting to escape from his former life and rewrite his story, Arthur heads to Terre Haute, Indiana, with the aim of re-establishing his golf career. Arthur’s plans are interrupted, though, when he meets the young and attractive Mike.
The two become unlikely friends.
Both Firth and Blunt are good in their roles – actors playing actors. But as quirky as their characters may be, the film fails to lure you in long enough for its message-driven ending to amount to much.
