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Amazon.co.uk Review
A feel-good movie that highlights the beauty of France as much as it does its stars, A Good Year provides a languid, gorgeous viewing experience. Director Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe--who first worked together on the Academy Award-winning Gladiator--are reunited in this romantic film, which is based on Peter Mayle's book A Year in Provence. Crowe plays Max, a workaholic London bonds trader who doesn't know the meaning of vacation. When his uncle dies, leaving him a picturesque estate in the south of France, Max views it as an opportunity to cash in the vinery and pocket the profits. The film is reminiscent of Diane Lane's Under the Tuscan Sun in the way the scenery plays as much of a role in the film as its characters. The lush village and streaming sunlight portray Provence as an idyllic, magical place. Even Max falls under its spell. While not a particularly likeable character, especially in the early part of the film, Max also isn't a bad guy. When he gets the chance to live life at a less manic pace than which he is used to, he finds that a good year isn't dependant on a financial windfall. Though Scott tries to drum up some suspense in the film (Is the beautiful visitor really Max's illegitimate cousin? Will Max fall in love with the feisty local woman he trades quips with?) nothing that happens comes as much of a surprise. Still, while the film doesn't fully utilise Crowe's range of skills, the actor is charming in his role and A Good Year provides fine viewing. --Jae-Ha Kim
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
When what you need is a little light relaxation,
By
This review is from: A Good Year [DVD] [2006] (DVD)
Thank goodness we're all different. Unlike one of the reviewers, who appears to be unable to find any merit in this offering of Ridley Scott's, "A Good Year" did, quite precisely, hit the spot. It's got a simple and predictable plot. It's about the perennial theme of the real values in life - something that get's more important as we get older. It's got wine, wonderful French scenery, beautiful women, a Harley Davidson, and creative uses of the word 'bollocks'. What more could you want? The cinematography was quite simply lovely. I cannot comment particularly expertly on the acting, but Albert Finney seemed perfect, and young Freddie, playing the central character as a boy appeared quite brilliant. And the music - far from seeming like an afterthought, as one reviewer intimated, fitted the overall mood of the film extremely well.
If a strength of a film is its ability to make one want to "be there", then this one scores very highly indeed.
136 of 144 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intimate, tender and charming,
By Martin Turner "Martin Turner" (Marlcliff, Warwickshire, England) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)
This review is from: A Good Year [DVD] [2006] (DVD)
Isn't Ridley Scott amazing?
The man who directed 'Blade Runner', 'Alien', 'Thelma and Louise' and 'Gladiator', to name but a few, has brought us a tender romantic-comedy which is utterly, utterly different from anything he has done before. In a character completely different from 'Gladiator', Russell Crowe is a sardonic and cut-throat London financial trader who apparently is to inherit his uncle's wine-growing estate in France where he grew up. Visiting it with no purpose other than to sell it, he gradually falls in love once again with the place, with the people, and with a young cafe-owner called Fanny Chenal. 'A Good Year' has some charming bits of fun -- driving a Smart car in France, trying to get out of an empty swimming pool, scorpions causing the foreigners to panic -- but it is ultimately a character comedy about a man rediscovering himself. Some of the underlying Ridley Scott trademarks are there -- immaculately staged visuals, confident use of time which enables him to explore details as the plot gradually builds -- but they are used for a completely different purpose. There are no grand concepts of honour, revenge, the fight to survive, or saving the human race, nor are there the stark contrasts between character and situation. Equally, while many of Scott's worlds are utterly remote from our own (war-torn Africa, Columbus's Spain, the far-future in space), this one is so close to home that you can almost imagine getting into a car and driving into the script. And, while many of his films are directed on a gigantic scale, 'A Good Year' is intimate and reflects the two tiny worlds of Provence and London's Square Mile. 'A Good Year' did not immediately impress the critics. But neither did 'Blade Runner', nor a number of other Ridley Scott films now considered to be classics. I've watched it twice, in the space of a few days, and I fully expect to watch it three or four times more. Warmly recommended.
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A relaxing watch,
By
This review is from: A Good Year [DVD] [2006] (DVD)
Rich London money boy inherits house in France. Discovers money isn't everything. Happy ever after is just around the corner.
What takes it beyond that, is that it's a Ridley Scott film, so naturally it looks excellent. Russell Crowe is affable but doesn't really have to stretch himself. You'd think the whole thing was carried along by the chance of spending a summer working in the sunny south of France. So: relaxing for them and relaxing for us. A good year, a good flic, just don't expect to be stretched.
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