A GOOD YEAR

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: sexual content, brief nudity, profanity

Rated:

I am not an enormous fan of Russell Crowe. I cheer him on just like everyone else in Gladiator, but I rarely intentionally seek out his films. I had not even heard of this one before it landed in my mail box via the friendly folks at Netflix. To my surprise, it's quite a touching and humorous film with a surprising amount of heart. Who knew the man's man Crowe could play a romantic lead?

After the separation of his parents, as a child Max Skinner (Freddie Highmore) would spend the summers every year with his Uncle Henry (Albert Finney) at his French vineyard. There, Max learned to appreciate the finer things in life... the beauty surrounding him, the taste of a good wine, the luxury of a good book. But those summers are long gone, since Max (Crowe) is now one of the most formidable, fiercest stock tradesmen in the European market. His very existence makes his competitors (Richard Coyle) mad with envy, since he can dump, trade, and spike stocks with his morning toast. Distant, have become his memories of carefree summers and spring vacations. The word isn't even in his vocabulary now, since everyone knows that a vacation is the perfect time for someone else to steal your job. Rather self-centered and cynical, Max is only mildly impacted when he receives news that Henry has passed away.

Without a proper will, his nearest living relative is free to claim the estate, so Max reluctantly hops on a plane. His French is rusty, his driving skills impaired, and his interest in the vineyard minimal, since it produces only rubbish by the way of wine and seems to be falling apart around his ears. But the longer he stays there, making arrangements to sell long-distance with his attorney (Tom Hollander), the more he remembers his Uncle Henry and the wonderful times they had together. His life becomes infinitely more complicated and interesting when a beautiful woman in the village (Marion Cotillard) holds a grudge against him for inadvertently running her off the road, and an American girl (Abbie Cornish) shows up claiming to be Henry's illegitimate daughter. The result is a sweet romantic comedy that falls a little flat in its believability. 

One of the things I loved about the screenplay is that it truly had a unique premise, in addition to being brilliantly filmed. The flashbacks are so unexpected and touching that they are rather like remembering something yourself rather than being pulled into someone else's life. Everything about the film is beautiful, from the golden tint of childhood experiences to the lush colors that contrast with the old stucco house. The message is one that has been told before, but never with quite as much charm. I loved that in the first half, Max was permanently attached to his blackberry and as time passed, it rang less and less often as he became interested in the world around him. Falling into an empty pool and being unable to get out was also funny, particularly when his rescuer thinks it would be more fun to turn on the water than find a ladder. There were also a lot of unexpected, familiar actors that brought a smile to my face.

Unfortunately, one thing kind of ruined it for me... that the filmmakers expect us to believe that after one date and impromptu sex, Fanny and Max love one another. I was disappointed that their relationship was not pure, because it would have given them a lot more chemistry not to go all out so soon. It is my most prominent gripe with the film, but it also has quite a lot of language (mostly s**t, but at least one muffled f-word, a couple abuses of God's name, and lots of references to English slang such as "shag"). The French housekeeper smacks Max on the bum a couple of times. Conversation revolves around whether or not it would be improper for Max to become sexually involved with his cousin (he doesn't). The scene with Fanny and Max involves undressing, and passionate kissing. There is some immodesty among the women, including a glimpse of a woman's thigh (she's showing off a bruise) and a brief view at a woman's naked backside as she lays on a bed (she asks someone to look at her sunburn). 

One thing that might bother many audiences is the amount of drinking in the film. If there's a glass around, it has wine in it. More troubling is Max at age eleven becoming a connoisseur of films. Henry serves him alcohol on more than one occasion. Despite its faults, I was entertained and even touched by it, but it would have been much better without all the sly innuendos and the pointless love scene. True love is formed over time and through troubles, not over one night's spontaneity.