Arthur the King (#528)


I goofed big time, and two of you called my attention to it.  In my review of Knox Goes Away, I credited Bill Murray with a fine job as director and star.  The only problem is he did neither!  The star and director was in reality Michael Keaton, whom I dislike as much as I dislike Bill Murray so I guess no serious harm is done.  And one of the two, who happens to be my son who designed and updates the OLD MAN @ THE MOVIES blog also pointed out that I was numbering my reviews incorrectly (my math skills are as faulty as my recognition powers).  With those sins out of the way I can report on the film I saw today (my third in three days) which was okay, no more than that. Another based-on-a-true-story. ARTHUR THE KING is the improbable and hard-to-believe story of a guy, Michael, played by Mark Wahlberg, obsessed with winning a grueling four-person-team event known as the Adventure Racing World Championship, which he has entered for years but never won.  He enlists two men and a woman to join him, and he is able to get a sponsor to finance the try.  This one is a ten day, 435 mile race in the Dominican Republic which wends its way through forests and swamps and is part run, part walk and part kayaking and is formidable.  Two hundred miles into the run, they discover they are being followed by a dog, a shabby mutt who endears himself to the team and somehow leads them to shortcuts that keep them among the leaders.  It is exciting but totally predictable and heartwarming and a feel-good movie, and it’s successful within those parameters.  And, to repeat myself, it was just okay.  Critics gave it a 65% thumbs up; and it was the audiences' cup of tea with 97% approving.

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