A GOOD YEAR--A VINTAGE MESS
Written: Nov 15 '06 (Updated Nov 15 '06)
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Looks terrific; Russell Crowe
Cons: Not particularly funny; characters don't have too much substance; Russell Crowe
The Bottom Line: Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe trade the sword and sandal "Gladiator" for French wine country in A GOOD YEAR, a romantic comedy that feels forced, conventional, and ultimately tastes sour
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| jarvococker's Full Review: A Good Year |
In A GOOD YEAR, more than one reference is made to the secret of comedy. It's all in the timing, two characters explain. While this is true, it's sage advice which is not followed in the film, a romantic comedy that surprisingly falls flat.
Surprising considering A GOOD YEAR's pedigree. The film finds visionary director Ridley Scott once again joining forces with thespian behemoth Russell Crowe, and where they famously unleashed hell in "Gladiator," here their combined efforts achieve little more than a vintage cock up that never quite settles on a singular tone of story telling. One moment it's a sentimental remembrance of an estranged loved one, the next it's bad slapstick, and the next it's a fairly conventional romance. Adapted for the screen by Marc Klein from the book by Peter Mayle and directed by Scott, the film's faults can't entirely be blamed on it's famous director and star. As game as Crowe is to lampoon his alpha male with an undercurrent of sensitivity screen image, the poor writing doesn't flatter his comedic instincts at all. A rewrite from someone like Richard Curtis may have served the film much better. Alas, next time.
There's precious little about A GOOD YEAR that feels original. Crowe stars as Max Skinner, a British stock market shark who inherits his Uncle Henry's (Albert Finney in flashback) villa and winery in Provence, France. Skinner refers to his office minions as "lab rats," and casually remarks about being their "genetic superior." When Henry passes, Skinner travels to the quaint and gorgeous Provence where he spent his childhood summers to find a dilapidated estate, which he tries to fix up for a quick and easy real estate sale. There he rams heads with Henry's wine caretaker Francis Duflot (Didier Bourdon) about selling out his Uncle's legacy, and the lovely (And oddly named) Fanny Chenal (Marion Cotillard), a waitress he nearly runs off the road without thinking twice about it. The more time he's kept in Provence, the more Skinner begins to evaluate his urban cutthroat lifestyle. Soon the tranquility of the French countryside and an unlikely courtship with Fanny begins to look more and more attractive.
Time was when smug film characters were too absorbed in career and success and turned a blind eye to life's simpler pleasures, they were usually shot in the head in lieu of spiritual awakening. Not so anymore. The redundancy of swallowing lead has been replaced with the equal redundancy of dropping out and retreating to the serenity and more wholesome rhythms of small town life. While the drop dead beauty of Provence is shot with breathtaking scope by cinematographer Philippe Le Sourd, the change of scenery is still ripe with cliche. Matters aren't helped by the fact that few of the characters feel like real flesh and blood creations at all. They're more like the stock, eccentric caricatures from a Lasse Holstrom film whose purpose is to act like human sign posts indicating "Sacrifice everything and live with us!"
The biggest problem with the film is there's very little sympathetic about Max. "Max Skinner doesn't do weekends," a character states. "Max Skinner doesn't do holidays. Max Skinner makes money." Unfortunately for audiences, Max Skinner also doesn't do funny. Crowe tries valiantly to get audiences on his side, but the script fails to give him much to work with. An extended sequence where Max finds himself trapped in a swimming pool may inspire more snickers than genuine laughs. Another bizarre sequence where Max struggles in a tennis match with Francis goes nowhere. Worse, his romance with Fanny doesn't feel credible in the slightest, with or without a flashback that suggests they shared an intimate moment as kids (And which Max has all but forgotten). While Max's decision not to give up the villa is inspiring in a lukewarm way, there's little to suggest Max will mature because of it.
Of the supporting cast, Archie Panjabi fares well as Skinner's personal assistant Gemma. Ditto Tom Hollander (Priceless in "Pride And Prejudice") as his lawyer Charlie. Abbie Cornish fares less well as Christie, an American who may or may not be Henry's long lost daughter. While she does all she can with a poorly written role, which calls for her to appear in various states of undress a lot of the time, Max's efforts to verify her relationship adds little to the proceedings. Marion Cotillard, the sizzling beauty from "A Very Long Engagement" and "Love Me If You Dare," also suffers from an underwritten role as Fanny. Albert Finney and Freddie Highmore (As the young Max) share a wonderful chemistry in their flashback sequences, which makes it harder to believe the adult Max has all but abandoned Henry.
A GOOD YEAR ultimately emerges as one of the most singularly disappointing films of this year. Fans of Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe's previous collaboration, the excellent "Gladiator," may find themselves shocked at this poor about face. While it's not as gratuitously bad as Scott's worst film "Hannibal," one might think A GOOD YEAR would still be a magnetic, lighthearted affair like "Matchstick Men." No such luck. The victim of a bad script and comedic asides that for the most part fall by the wayside, the film aggressively confuses slapstick with charm at every turn. In A GOOD YEAR, the transformation of a self serving, materialistic tyke into a level headed, avatar of the simple life is not particularly engaging or believable. Try as they might, the film makers are drunk on their own whimsical indulgences.
Recommended:
No
Movie Mood: Funny Movie
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Script
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Epinions.com ID:
jarvococker
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Member: marcelo deugarte
Location: bethesda, md
Reviews written: 299
Trusted by: 70 members
About Me:
And the hand that rocks you cuts you up like lyrics of your life.
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