About maybe halfway through Arthur Newman, the new film starring Colin Firth and Emily Blunt, I was enjoying it, and I thought, "What does this movie remind me of?" Instantly, the answer came to me: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. Then I remembered that I was one of the few critics who liked that movie. I think I'm in the minority on Arthur Newman as well, although, as you'll see from my Screen International review, I have plenty of reservations. What binds the two films in my mind? Well, they're both road-trip movies about mismatched characters whose personal apocalypse feels like it's just around the bend. There's a certain freedom to that premise that I find liberating -- and also a little poignant. There may be good fodder for an article in there. We'll have to see.
