Movie Review: 'Arthur Newman' -- 2.5 stars

Arthur Newman
2.5 stars
Directed by Dante Ariola
Starring Colin Firth, Emily Blunt
Not Rated

The characters in "Arthur Newman" desperately dream of being anyone but themselves.

It's a natural human inclination; after a particularly tough day at work, or amid personal strife, who hasn't wondered what it'd be like to radically change things?

But this middling flick has nothing particular to say about it.

Colin Firth stars as a failed golf pro who assumes a false identity. Emily Blunt plays a troubled woman who is similarly uncomfortable in her own skin.

Together, they journey from Florida to Indiana, where Firth's Arthur Newman has a job waiting at a golf course.

The characters make pitstops where they break into homes and pretend to be a Southern couple, hip artists and others.

The stars are predictably likable, and they pull off convincing American accents. The movie is pleasant, of course, as would be any film that paired these actors romantically.

But this is a decidedly minor effort, directed by Dante Ariola with a bland, generic eye, missing the pathos of interesting drama and the charm of quality romantic cinema.