Russell Brand stars as Arthur, a playboy billionaire who fills his days with expensive drinks and cheap women. But after disgracing the family one too many times, he’s issued with an ultimatum: marry the sociopathic and gold-digging socialite Susan (Jennifer Garner) or be cut off from his inheritance. But Arthur has just fallen for the charming but penniless Naomi (Greta Gerwig). Will he give up his fortune to follow his heart?
Of course he will, it’s a rom-com. And it’s the most hackneyed rom-com out there, with Garner awkwardly playing the embarrassingly clichéd villain as Helen Mirren takes over Michael Caine’s usual role as Arthur’s brusque but loving nanny.
And of course there’s Brand, playing himself. A foppish, narcissistic, flamboyant blend of sleaze and whimsy, The Englishman’s given too much licence here, and repeated sequences of Arthur drunkenly taking his clothes off or proving how spoilt he is by not understanding how a tea-bag works get old quickly. Still, there’s something endearing about his sad clown act, and as Arthur moves from forced comedy to forced sentimentality, he proves that underneath the ADHD, there is a decent, likeable actor. And as he frolics through familiar plot points and a horribly laboured “Just Say No, Kids” moral message, he also shares some innocently sweet chemistry with the ever-endearing Gerwig.