A decent feel - good flick with beautiful shots of Provencal landscape .
Disadvantages:
Predictable and unoriginal plot .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
*** This is a film only review ***
A Good Year is adapted from the novel of the same name by the prolific Francophile author Peter Mayle, and embraces the essence of his writing which actively celebrates the astounding beauty of the Provencal landscape, culture and quirky inhabitants.THE MAIN CAST
Russell Crowe - Max Skinner Freddie Highmore - Young Max Albert Finney - Uncle Henry Marion Cotillard - Fanny Chenal Francis Duflot - Didier Bourdon Ludivine Duflot - Isabelle Candelier Papa Duflot - Jacques Herlin Abbie Cornish - Christie Roberts Gemma - Archie Panjabi Charlie Willis - Tom Hollander
Director & Producer - Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Black Hawk Down)THE PLOT
"How far would you go to get your life back?"
A Good Year begins with the peaceful, placid atmosphere of a rambling vineyard estate, "La Siroque", in Provence and a young boy, Max (Highmore), playing chess and chatting about wine with his affable and slightly eccentric Uncle Henry (Finney). The dappled light of a long-lost childhood soon switches place with gritty, modern day London, where a grown Max (Crowe) is a hard-nosed successful bonds trader, greedily devoted to money-making, high-speed living and fast women in an insular, superficial and soulless world. When one day he receives a letter from a Provencal notaire informing him that the beloved uncle he has long since lost touch with had passed away in testate, Max makes a small window in his busy life to travel back to Provence to evaluate the dilapidated chateau and vineyard he has inherited with his eye on another quick deal. While in France Max finds out that he has been suspended for a risky financial gamble, and this combines with a series of mishaps to lead him to remain on the estate, where childhood memories begin flooding back and Max's callous heart begins once again to feel. A number of colourful local characters help Max to realise that there is more to life than the City, and the film enjoys a couple of neatly fitting subplots, including the arrival of a mysterious American with surprise news from the past, a feisty owner of a local bistro and the discovery of a legendary vin de garage stored on the property.THE OPINION
I found A Good Year to be a much lighter serving than I have come to expect from a Ridley Scott-Russell Crowe combo, after hit movies such as Gladiator. To summarise this film using the wine analogies it favours throughout, A Good Year would be a light, reasonably sweet bottle of rosé, pleasant, yet slightly insipid, and certainly not a bottle which you would file away for a special occasion. A Good Year is an agreeably light-hearted film, with gentle comedy, endearing romance and engaging reminiscences, which meander through the movie to mesh together to form a satisfying, yet very predictable, conclusion. However, the plot is nothing new and the use of flashbacks as a vehicle to show a former, better life is rather clichéd, but the good performances by Finney and Highmore (of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory) actually make these scenes some of the most delightful, and they are successful in showing us the strong bond which existed between Henry and Young Max, and the innocent-yet-subtly-devious and ambitious traits already present in the latter which would lead Max to develop into a cold-blooded banker.
Despite a seriously dodgy accent, Crowe's performance, as ever, is highly respectable. His character is both fittingly poncy and conceited for his job, yet still charming and charismatic enough to strike up a rapport with the viewer. While the film does not allow an overly personal insight into his inner psyche, it is by subtle inference that we notice the changes that occur in Max's character, with the flashbacks of a childhood spent playing in the wine cellar absorbing his Uncle's kindly imparted wisdom reminding Max that money should not be the only passion in one's life. However, with A Good Year being promoted as a comedy, in a departure from his most successful roles Crowe appears a little stilted in some of the overtly humorous scenes which are so obviously contrived as to be not particularly amusing. I found the gentler and more subtle humour, such as Gemma's (Panjabi of The Constant Gardener) punchy asides as Max's resilient PA, far more amusing than scenes of Max being trapped in an empty, inescapable swimming pool and a dog relieving itself on his leg. Having said that, the preview I attended was filled with golden oldies who were hooting with laughter, which at least means A Good Year can appeal to a wide demographic.
The glorious shots of the Provencal countryside will certainly appeal to anyone, and one of the most pleasing features of this film is the escapism it provides to a simpler country life, without which the predictability of the plot would have failed to hold my attention span. The soundtrack is spirited and diverse and includes some foot-tapping French classics to set the mood, and the quirky local folk, including the flirtatiously over-protective house-keeper Ludivine, and her cheeky antique father, and the ballsy very French character of Fanny, produce some charming moments. Yet, on the whole all of the characters lack a certain depth, and while it is refreshing not to have gushy, over-sentimental scenes in a movie of this type, it did feel as if I was watching the characters from a distance, rather than involving myself in their lives. Despite that, A Good Year is a decent feel-good movie and an agreeable way to divert a few hours, especially to enjoy the Provencal sunsets as our own evenings are drawing in, but the film did not form any manner of lasting impression on me and will not be one which I will be inspired to watch again.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Rating 12A due to frequent, yet not too offensive, swearing.
Length 118 minutes
Film released in the UK 27th October
A substantial trailer can be viewed at the movie's website http://www.agoodyear.com/
