Murph's Review

A Good Year starts out promisingly with Russell Crowe playing a selfish rich trader to perfection. Max Skinner oozes hauteur and superiority from every pore. He is impeccably turned out, and lives in a flat with the best view in all of London. Lovely women vie for his attention. He has everything in the world he wants….or does he?

A letter from France changes his life in more ways than he ever thought possible.

Once Russell, Ridley, the cameras and the film landed in Provence, it became hard for me to give an objective review of the film. There on the screen were the very places I saw in 2005 – the hillside village of Bonnieux, the outdoor dining area at La Coste, the broad pebble-paved road leading to the front of the chateau, the tennis court where we watched Russell and Didier do their tennis turn. As Yogi Berra would say, it was déjà vu all over again! The Luberon was as breathtakingly beautiful as I remembered it to be, and the film will remind me of my time there forever.

On the plot itself - Albert Finney and young Freddie Highmore, and their time together at the chateau, gave a great background for Max’s fond memories of the place and of his eccentric, larger than life uncle. They were fun to watch together. I would have liked to see more of Finney and Highmore and the touching bond between them. Since Max's parents died and Henry was his only relative, this was the most important male figure in his life. Uncle Henry knew what kind of a nephew he had in Max, but loved him just the same.

I was less sure about the sub-plot involving Abbie Cornish. I’m not sure how important it was to the movie to include it. If she had battled Max for the property, or had been less pliant, it would have given their relationship a bit of an edge. I was glad she at least saw through Max and Uncle Henry’s “letter.”

Didier and his wife were perfect, as was the whiskey drinking grandpa. Tom Hollander had great fun with the friend of the hero part, and had some of the better lines in the film, as had Archie Panjabi as Max's assistant in the London trading house. I'm still not sure why she got the final line, and why the movie ended with her, rather than with Max and Fanny.

As Fanny, Marion and Russell made sparks fly when they played off each other. Cotillard is a talented actress, and more than held her own with Mr. Crowe. She is also a joy just to look at – adorable, with lots of pep and swagger

The film ran a bit long, but I enjoyed it. The familiar plot of “Arrogant Man learns his lesson from Local People and a Beautiful Woman” never fails to get to me. I’m a sucker for redemption in films. And watching Russell try his hand at romantic comedy (and desperately trying to get out of that swimming pool) was worth every penny!

P.S. Loved Max's Laurence of Arabia in the pool.....