From cydne:

Review of A Good Year

Any doubts I had that Russell could play a comedic or romantic role were quickly dispelled. In every scene Russell is totally in the moment, and his face, body, and voice reflect the inner workings of the character he is playing. We’ve seen him wrap himself around a character so many times that it’s almost expected, and he doesn’t disappoint. Russell plays Max Skinner with a balance between gravity and levity that completely reflect the character and theme of the film. He’s playful, but totally believable. To the viewpoint of this writer, Russell’s acting skills, and those of his costars, save the movie. Marion Cotillard is delightful, and a good match for Russell. The rest of the supporting cast is also superb. Didier Bourdon as the proprietor of the vineyard is one of my favorites.

Reading the book before seeing the movie often leads to some level of unfulfilled expectations, so I certainly would like to hear feedback from someone who has not read the book.

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The following paragraphs contain spoilers -

In my opinion, it was a mistake to eliminate some of the elements of the story and add some others. First, let me say that the flashback scenes with Albert Finney were first rate and I was delighted at this added dimension to the story. I also found it interesting and appropriate to characterize Max Skinner as a Gordon Gecko-type character, albeit a slightly Cary Grant version of him. What I don’t understand is why Charlie wasn’t allowed to play as close a friend as in the book, and why his romance with Christie wasn’t allowed to flourish. Most importantly, all the intrigue about the ‘boutique’ wine was completely eliminated from the film. It was never explained why there were two types of wine produced on the vineyard.

I did love the pool scene, and the tennis match between Max and Roussell. However, given the excellent work done by Russell and Ridley in previous collaboration and other films, I was surprised by some of the elements in the script. Some of what was added was totally unnecessary, in my opinion. For example, the letter forged by Max to give the vineyard to Christie seemed unnecessary. The closing scene with Max’s London assistant was completely left-field and did nothing to further the story. The second to last scene, which was in Provence, seemed rushed and haphazard to me.

I wish the camera had lingered a bit longer on some of the Provence scenes. I thought I’d read that the camera moved quickly in the London scenes, and more slowly during the Provence ones, but I didn’t see that. Perhaps Ridley felt that as a romantic comedy he needed to keep things moving. For me, I’d have liked some of the superfluous details eliminated and a more luxurious pace implemented in some places.

Overall, the acting, scenery, and light feeling make it a film worth seeing. I’m looking forward to the next film by Russell and Ridley, American Gangster. Perhaps they will delve into the romantic comedy genre again sometime in the future.