I have never even heard of this movie before so I just watched it on DVD and here is my review.The movie is about a man named Wallace Avery(played by Colin Firth sporting an American accent) who hates his life,he decides to fake his own death by making out he went missing. So he goes under the new name Arthur Newman who is a professional golfer. Later he meets a troubled woman who goes by Mike aka Michalea(played by Into The Woods Emily Blunt)who left her schizophrenic sister and assumes her identity as her real name is Charlotte. So the two decide to go off on a road trip together,break into people's houses and of course have hot steamy sex while there at it.Overall I just watched this out of the new as like I said have never even heard of this movie as I got it today. The acting I must say was great Blunt and Firth had great chemistry together and their accents were spot on as both are British. Bottom line if you like road trip movies then check it out. But to be honest I found this one very depressing,thank god it was only on for an hour and a half if it was on for longer I would have turned it off.Out of 5 its a 2.8/5 and out of 10 its a 4/10 because of the actors for the premise its very complicated to follow and the setting is rather depressing.C-

This film tells the story of a failed professional golfer, who abandons his life and family to assume an alternate identity in order to start a new life.The premise of the story could have been very interesting, as the title character faces a midlife crisis. It is a situation that quite a few people can identify with, and hence it could have been an engaging story. However, things go wrong because the film takes a ridiculous turn. A kleptomaniac drug addict comes a long and they have sex in other people's houses. Just what is the point of the story? It is not even entertaining or engaging. The only thing that impressed me was Emily Blunt's ability to mimic various accents. Other than that, "Arthur Newman" is quite a disappointing film.

I guess I can see why Colin Firth would be attracted to the role of a depressed American, but really, the script wasn't up to his level.Firth and Emily Blunt star in "Arthur Newman," a 2012 film directed by Dante Ariola. Wallace Avery (Firth) is unhappy at his job as a floor manager. He's divorced, has a girlfriend (Anne Heche), and a young son who hates him. An excellent golfer, he didn't make it as a pro because of nerves. However, he helped a man with his slice, and as a result, has been offered the job of golf pro at a club in Terre Haute, Indiana. He fakes his death and takes off.Along the way, he helps a young woman (Blunt) by taking her to the hospital. When she's better, she goes with him. Eventually, they become lovers. He finds out she's using a fake identity as well, running from a twin sister who is schizophrenic and may need her.The two of them start to break into people's houses and take on their identities and make love in their beds.This is a pretty boring, slow movie enlivened by the performances of the two leads. Along the way we learn something about the characters, but not enough to become truly invested in them. We just know they're miserable. We know Wallace's son hates him because he wasn't there for him, but we don't know why or what went on between them, or what happened with his ex-wife, and why his girlfriend is discontented.It's sad because this could have been an amazing movie. It's about two people that learn what they love about each other and their value to those left behind. But it doesn't go into these facets deeply enough.Both Firth and Blunt are excellent, trying to flesh out what's there. In the end, I was sympathetic to the characters but not really involved with them. It was sort of like giving street directions to two strangers and then wishing them luck.

Arthur Newman (2012)Though the whole enterprise is built on a huge and somewhat false contrivance (a man taking on a new identity and picking up a troubled woman along the way who also is playing games with her identity), it all works better than you might think. And it's largely because of Colin Firth and Emily Blunt, both strong and understated leads. Blunt in particular has qualities that are interesting without merely being "star" material. Firth, of course, is a mega-star and he's playing his quiet man with familiarity here.The director Dante Ariola is only on his second film and the writer is on his first (after a few screenplays based on other people's stories). And I guess it shows in many little ways, including a script that doesn't seem believable at times. Then at other times it's believable but not that interesting. What keeps it floating through these waves is a sense of pace and ease with the two actors, who of course are seasoned and respected stars.This is both a downer movie with two unhappy leads trying to survive their lives and a feel-good movie about people who find something in each other to survive. It's not quite a romance that develops (it's not "Leaving Las Vegas"), but there is a kind of loving co-dependence. It's meant to be deeper and more moving than it is— mostly a issue of the writing again—but you get the drift and it works overall.In the end, at the end, you wish so much it had been more than it was. It has so many interesting qualities that don't get pulled out—the surprising convergence in the plot, the game of taking on identities, the psychological depth of being who you are and accepting that—I felt let down by what did happen. The solutions are a bit obvious and almost cheap, depending on formulas seen before. Which is too bad because the set-up and the actors are worth more than that.