It stars Dudley Moore as Arthur Bach, a drunken New York City millionaire who is on the brink of an arranged marriage to a wealthy heiress but ends up falling for a common working-class young woman from Queens.

Arthur Bach is a spoiled, alcoholic man-child from New York City, who likes to be driven in his chauffeured Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith limousine through Central Park.

Arthur is heir to a portion of his family's vast fortune, but only if he marries the upper-class Susan Johnson, the daughter of a business acquaintance of his father.

During a shopping trip in Manhattan, accompanied by his valet, Hobson, Arthur witnesses a young woman, Linda Marolla, shoplifting a necktie.

While visiting his grandmother, Martha, Arthur shares his feelings for Linda, but is warned again that he will be disowned if he does not marry Susan.

At the church, he jilts Susan, resulting in her father, Burt Johnson, attempting to stab Arthur with a cheese knife, though he is prevented by Martha.

When he returns to Linda's side, he tells her that he declined again – Martha's dinner invitation, he means – but he did accept $750 million.

Prior to the casting of Moore, Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, John Travolta, Richard Dreyfuss, and James Caan were all considered for the role.

[7] Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, Gilda Radner, and Meryl Streep were also considered for the role of Linda.

[9] Cross was asked to compose a song for the film which he did, "Arthur's Theme", which he wrote with Bacharach along with Carole Bayer Sager and Peter Allen.

The website's critics consensus reads, "Dudley Moore brings a boozy charm to Arthur, a coming of age tale for a wayward millionaire that deploys energetic cast chemistry and spiffy humor to jovial effect.