Brand plays Arthur, a perpetually drunk billionaire playboy, who seems to be able to spend a ridiculously exaggerated amount of money and do nothing but cause trouble and catch STDs. His life is complicated when he is blackmailed into marrying evil bitch Susan (Jennifer Garner), while simultaneously falling in love with a cute indie girl from the wrong side of the tracks, Naomi (Greta Gerwig). The results are predictably predictable, which made for a pleasant background watch, leaving audiences free to chat amongst themselves and play scrabble on their iPhones.
The scene where Jennifer Garner rocks up to Arthurs house drunk and completely out of character makes perfect sense, as does the fact that Arthur seems to spend about 40 million dollars a year, and his mother lets him do whatever he wants without contributing anything useful to the empire.
I thought it was a pretty interesting choice that the film didn’t actually contain any comedy, and went for a more romance/tragedy/drama/redemption/cottage cheese angle, but who am I to complain? I suppose Russ-dog is trying to show his range.
The best thing about this film is that you didn’t even need to be there for most of it. At one point I left and had a cigarette, made some phone calls, and on my return didn’t mind that I had missed quite a bit. Another plus is that it was a bonding experience between me and my friend as many awkward moments gave opportunities for exchanging awkward glances, thus further cementing our friendship. The film ending was also a highlight worthy of mention, and left me needing a drink so urgently, it actually led to a pretty fun night out. Two thumbs up.
