Directed by
Ridley Scott
118 minutes
Rated M
Reviewed by
Sharon Hurst
Good Year, A
Synopsis: Max Skinner (Russell Crowe) is a hard-nosed go-getting stockmarket bond trader. When he unexpectedly inherits a French chateau, with vineyard, from his Uncle Henry (Albert Finney), he heads over to Provence to sell the property. But as memories of his youth spent with his uncle flood back, he has second thoughts, compounded by his attraction for local beauty Fanny Chenal (Marion Cotillard), as well as the appearance of Kristy (Abbie Cornish), claiming to be Henry’s illegitimate daughter.
Based on the novel "A Year in Provence" by Peter Mayle, this film is light, romantic and pretty. There are, of course, the glorious scenes of misty vineyards, archetypically French villages, and in England some exceptionally entertaining chaos on the stock trading floor, but I couldn’t help thinking the whole time, what a shame the French didn’t make this film.
Crowe establishes early on his character’s creds as a hard-hearted and ruthless money chaser, which he pulls off quite convincingly. Once in France though, he tries his hardest to do a little French-style slapstick, and in certain moments he almost pulls it off, but something just didn’t ring true for me about his character. Perhaps it is his total inability to maintain an English accent! By contrast young Freddie Highmore is simply terrific as the young Max, who we see in several flashbacks, playing chess, tennis and cricket with his Uncle, always with a ruthless determination to win, and total petulance when he loses! Veteran Finney tries hard as Uncle Henry, but the script does him a disservice, as most of his lines amount to dispensing words of wisdom to young Max. A standout performance comes from Didier Bourdon (mainly seen in French films) as Francis Duflot , the wine-maker attached to the estate. His character is at once irascible, likeable, intense and funny. Note must also be made of Tom Hollander as Charlie, Max’s friend and real-estate agent summoned to France to sell the estate.
The women in this film fare very well both with their characters and their interpretations of them. The very sexy Marion Cotillard is a typically feisty French siren, while Abbie Cornish was a winner with her convincing turn (and accent!) as the sweet young American daughter, with an amazing knowledge of Californian wine. Best of all though is Archie Panjabi as Max’s personal assistant Gemma, a character who is sassy, funny and strong.
What’s amazing is that Ridley Scott, who so has masterfully directed so many action -oriented films chose to tackle such a different genre. His forte is obviously the more action style of story, and his attempts at flippancy and comedy, while amusing enough at times, just don’t cut it!. Apparently he does own a property in Provence, so maybe the French charm got the better of him! “Charm” is probably the operative word, as the film is charming and romantic in parts and really quite diverting, but it totally lacks the cutting edge of Sideways, and there is more than a tasting of predictability in the script.
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