20 Reasons Why the Original Arthur is the Greatest Comedy of All Time

13. It Held Its Own at the Box Office

Does anyone recognize the following movies? Raider's of the Lost Ark Porky's Death Wish II Chariots of Fire On Golden Pond Absence of Malice Taps Quest For Fire I'd guess you know all of these movies. Imagine having to compete for an audience against a lineup like that. That is the task that confronted Arthur. And how did Arthur perform? It ranked as the #4 movie of 1981. Pretty impressive.

14, It's Rated PG

In a time when it seemed all comedies had an unending parade of breasts, Arthur stood out as a great family comedy with a PG rating. With films such as Neighbors, Porky's, and Private Lessons to contend with it's a wonder Arthur found an audience at all.

On a side note, I was 16 when Arthur appeared in theaters. I went to the local mall, paid for a ticket to Arthur, and then sneaked into Private Lessons. While my teenage hormones greatly enjoyed Sylvia Kristel's nudity and the endless fantasies that I somehow replaced Phillip Fillmore in the movie, I've always regretted not watching Arthur in the theater.
Contributor

Tim is a varied character. He's lived on three continents. He hates ice cream. He has been a highly-paid computer programmer. He invents collectible card games. He is a coffee shop owner. He has had fantasy stories published in magazines. Eventually he wishes to retire from life and become a professional 10-pin bowler who writes articles while living in his RV and traveling from bowling tournament to bowling tournament with his faithful wife in tow. And of course, Tim is a major horror and science fiction fan.