A Good Year [DVD] [2006]

Whether I just imagine myself living in Provence with millions of pounds or whether I like that the film is about a man realising what is the most important thing in life, it is a beautiful film.

Anyone who, like me, loves Provence and misses the sunshine will love this film just for the ambiance and the gorgeous scenery, but it is also a highly enjoyable story, with great performances from all the cast. Russell Crowe turns in a convincing performance as Max, the tough city trader who inherits a Provençal mas and vineyard from his uncle, initially plans to sell it and then finds the magic of the place and the charms of the beautiful Fany ( played by Marion Cotillard) combining to seduce him away to a slower and more fulfilling way of life - no doubt cushioned by the millions he has already made in the City. The only, slightly false note is the American girl who turns up claiming to be the unknown illegitimate daughter of his uncle, and is of course a wine expert. I don't think she added anything to the story unless to show that Max really has a heart of gold. But I'd recommend this film wholeheartedly, especially to anyone wanting to escape the UK winter for a while.

Lovely movie, easy watching.

The first half hour of the film was irritating to me as I wasn't into the comedy of it at all. But with Albert Finney playing the favourite uncle and a very young Freddie Highmore (of The Good Doctor fame) his nephew, I started to enjoy it. The scenes of Provence are lovey to see, and the story picks up well, although the appearance of another child and the outcome was never really solved in the film. Nevertheless, worth watching on a cold January evening!

What he’d so many times

Not everyone can appreciate good wine. Not everyone learn to appreciate taste of life. Here the main character did at the end as life in London is tasteless. I had to but ending up in the grey London.Not sure Rassel himself would choose the taste of life though...And some stupid stereotypes like Russian tourists lookibg for the McDonald's (???)

If you want a feelgood movie with a good pace and good cast-watch this.

Max Skinner (Russell Crowe) is a London uber-trader. But his latest money-making spree on the markets has found his company under investigation and himself on suspension. Meanwhile, his uncle Henry (Albert Finney) has died, leaving him a large house and grounds, not to mention vines, in Provence. All Max sees in this rambling French property is a money-making opportunity, but as he stays, the sunshine, wine and the eccentric locals, not to mention the love of Fanny (Marion Cotillard) unlocks the sensitive man locked away in the belly of the Capitalist beast.“The secret of comedy is timing.” If you’re writing what is essentially a romantic comedy you have to have some confidence to include that line of dialogue, not just once but twice. On its cinema release, A Good Year (based on a novel by A Year in Provence writer Peter Mayle) received a kicking, for reasons that certainly have justification. This is a light comedy directed by a man and starring another man who are neither noted for their light comic touch. Even without that aspect to the part, Russell Crowe is miscast. The film is only moderately amusing, and obeys my rule of thumb about comedy in that it is overlong by the amount it exceeds ninety minutes. It’s also relentlessly predictable. Yet I couldn’t bring myself to dislike this film, possibly because I didn’t trek through November weather to spend over seven pounds to see it at my local multiplex. In less demanding circumstances, say after lunch or in an early evening on television, with the three F-words removed, this could be pleasant enough viewing, with a glass of wine or two to put you in the mood. And if you nod off now and again, that won’t hurt too much.A Good Year has the air of an indulgence for Ridley Scott, who has lived in Provence for some fifteen years. Scott has proven himself too erratic to be a truly great director: he’s a great – and very influential – visual stylist whose Achilles heel is the story and script. His best films have been made from the best scripts, but when the foundations are weaker, he flounders. Marc Klein may defend himself in the commentary in that he says that all the national stereotypes are true, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that most of his characters are so thinly drawn that they are only stereotypes. And when you have to rely on a pissing dog and Crowe falling into a disused swimming pool filled with fertiliser, you’re in trouble. Whatever you may say about Hugh Grant and Richard Curtis, as Kevin O’Reilly says in his cinema review on this site, you only have to imagine what they could have done with material like this to see how Crowe, Klein and Scott miss the target. Another problem is that Crowe’s character seems a make-believe city trader than a realistic one – you doubt that such people, who don’t have time for weekends or holidays, would be likely to read at all, let alone a demanding read like Death in Venice. (And that’s hardly likely reading for a ten-year-old.) Crowe tries his best, but he can’t square the circle that the script asks him to. Albert Finney gives a pleasing performance as Uncle Henry, who appears in a brief prologue with Freddie Highmore as young Max and appears in a series of flashbacks, the last of which has a mild surprise. Other actors give solid performances, including Kenneth Cranham as Max's boss and Archie Panjabi as his PA. It’s nice to see an actress as striking as Abbie Cornish (as Christie, Henry’s illegitimate Californian daughter) appearing in a film outside her native Australia, even if her character is fairly superfluous.Of course Provence looks absolutely gorgeous through Scott’s eyes. (The DP is Philippe Le Sourd, but you sense Scott has had a lot of input, and indeed has frequently coaxed career-best work from his directors of photography.) However, Scott is less than subtle by giving London such cold, grey-blue tones as he does. And you notice how soon after its construction the Gherkin building has become shorthand for the city it resides in. On the other hand, you do get to hear Johnny Hallyday singing a French-language version of “Hey Joe”, plus clips from Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday during one key scene.A Good Year will never go down as one of Scott’s best films, though it’s not a terrible one. It’s not an especially good one either. But save it up for a cold winter’s day and you may enjoy it more.