Ridley Scott reteams with his ‘Gladiator’ heavy Russell Crowe for this light and fluffy film where a simple glass of wine can turn any romance sweet and any obstacle into a life lesson learned. It is a picture that seems to be more of an excuse for the talent to take a couple months vacation in Provence to try out their somewhat lacking skills in slapstick comedy and romance.
The film was based on a idea of Scotts that he handed over to novelist Peter Mayle who has churned out several books along the same lines starting with ‘A Year in Provence’ in 1991 and who worked with Scott years ago while they were both in advertising. Mayle gave it up while Scott continued with commercials which jumpstarted his film career yet they continued to keep in touch.
They both were in love with the Provence area with Scott also owning a home and vineyard there so it was only a matter of time before Scott got around to showing his lighter side with an adaptation, yet Mayle’s novel ended up being different than what Scott envisioned so he hewed closer to his original ideas than the final novel.
More surprising is that he managed to finagle a miscast Russell Crowe into what eventually boils down to a romantic, slapsticky comedic role in a picture that really strains for a light-hearted poignancy but never quite reaches it. I will concede that Crowe is perfect in the early scenes of the picture as London-based bonds trader Max who relishes his work in a Gordon Gekko-ish fashion. Sporting over-sized glasses and cock-walking the high-rise floor of the London financial building of choice in recent years, ‘30 St Mary Axe’ (or as the British press appropriately call it ‘The Towering Innuendo’), Max finesses a border-line illegal sell and buy-back which nets an extraordinary profit for his company while generating the wrath of his rivals.
This all occurs after a brief prologue in which we see a young Max (Freddie Highmore of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ looking no more like a young Russell Crowe than the love interest) enjoying the finer aspects of life, consuming wine and chess, with his uncle Henry (an always delightful Albert Finney) on his South of France chateau. These flashbacks to a gentler time occur throughout the film when a dollop of depth is thought to be needed.
As the smug Max returns home from his extremely successful day at the office, he’s notified that his uncle has died and left him the vineyard. No communication has occurred between the two for thirty years for as Max puts it… “I’ve turned into an asshole” with no hint of apology so Max sees this as an opportunity to make a quick trip down there to wrap up some paperwork and sell the estate for a quick buck (or two million).
Once there, nostalgia sets in, but not enough to convince him to keep the place. Even with the pleading of his uncle’s longtime winemaker Francis (Didier Bourdon) and his wife, Ludivine (Isabelle Candelier), Max is too far gone in the smugness of himself and his work to take any real moments of reflection. Speeding along the small roads of the area in his tiny rental car (providing good reasoning for treating your assistant well…) obnoxiously yelling ‘Lance Armstrong!’ to passing bicyclists, he also fatefully and obliviously manages to run a local darling and restaurant owner Fanny (Marioni Cotillard) off the road on her bicycle during a high-speed cell phone snafu.
Wanting to make the sell and quickly get back to London, where in his business a vacation is an opportunity for someone to swipe the rug from underneath you, he almost makes his exit but is forced to return to the estate to take pictures (with his cell phone?) where a pratfall face-first into the muddy innards of the long drained pool provides an excuse for the introductory tête-à-tête between him and Fanny who spotted the tiny rental that ran her off the road.
Fanny just happens to be that spurned, single gorgeous gal with an attitude who has sworn off all men around her but who seems to make her return all too easy. That a flashback presumes that these two are the same age raises an eyebrow considering she looks at least ten years younger than he is.
The other eyebrow gets raised with the all too convenient arrival of Christie (Abbie Cornish), another gorgeous gal, who made the trip all the way from Napa to meet her biological father Henry for the first time. Her presence could obviously provide a wrench in the sell of the estate due to French laws so Max again struggles with greed and goodwill.
When Max finally returns to London, a chance to become partner presents itself and Max must make a decision – follow his brain, make millions and stare up at the faux print of a masterpiece hanging in his office without the time to enjoy the actual masterpiece in the vault or follow his heart and seriously unwind his life throwing out all the stress, albeit the enjoyable stress, of his fast-paced London life.
The narrative indeed weaves through characters and subplots with an all too knowing air but there are charms to be found here. Albert Finny is great with his few scenes as Uncle Henry and Crowe manages to not embarrass himself by roaming in new pastures if he doesn’t entirely convince either. His accent was spotty at best but he still remains an immensely watchable persona and his chemistry with Cotillard was palpable - their romance could have approached a great love story and not merely competent if only a few key scenes were written better.
Cornish for me played an inexplicable character and she showed up in short jean shorts ready to play but there was not much for her to do but look as honest as possible. Bourdon and Candelier fared better as the winemaker and his wife, Candelier especially chewing her small role with gusto.
Small throw-away moments let us in on the fact that we are watching a film from a man who knows his cinema. Clips from ‘M.Hulot’s Holiday’ and ‘Mon Oncle’ are seen and Henry’s dog ‘Tati’ show that Scott was possibly trying to approach French filmmaker and comedian Jacques Tati with his few slapstick scenes and Crowe’s pitch-perfect reading of O’Toole’s "It's clean. I like it because it's clean" line from ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ as he’s wallowing in mud at the bottom of the pool proves a delightful moment.
Yet one senses that the lack of action seems to have shackled him somewhat and much like his ‘Matchstick Men,’ the stillness of the camera seems to contribute to uneven lighting and balance. Scott is at his best lensing a flurry of activity or atmospheric filler such as fog or rain.
The film is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen and is enhanced for widescreen televisions. Special Features include an intriguing commentary/making-of hybrid ‘Postcards from Provence’ which jumps back and forth between commentary for the film and vignettes about specific parts of the film. Quite effective and I would look forward to seeing this feature on future DVDs.
Also included is a short promo with Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott acting chummy, Trailers, TV Spots and some Music Videos featuring Russell Crowe and his band The Ordinary Fear of God.
A mildly charming throw-away film that given the talent doesn’t quite add up to much but will prove an entertaining diversion for most. Yet, is this the film audiences want to see from a reteaming of Crowe and Scott? Well, looking at the film’s box office receipts from this past fall…um, no.
But hey, everyone deserves a vacation, yes? Trying for a Pinot Noir, they seem to have gotten themselves a Merlot and to quote a character from a much better wine-centric film: “I am not drinking any f’ing Merlot!”
A Good Year is now available at Amazon . It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a May 7th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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