wastrel spirits

'Arthur" is a fairly close remake of the great 1981 Dudley Moore movie, with pleasures of its own. It shares some of the same strengths and virtues, and if it lacks Dudley Moore as Arthur and John Gielgud playing his butler Hobson, well, it has Russell Brand and Helen Mirren playing his nanny Hobson. That's not a tradeoff, but it's a good try.

The thing about Moore, who people persisted in calling "Cuddly Dudley" although he hated it, is that he was just plain lovable. The thing about Russell Brand is that he isn't, not much, and he should get credit here for at least being a good deal more likable than he usually chooses to seem. He plays the alcoholic zillionaire Arthur Bach as …