A Good Year
"It's not really a
romantic comedy, it's a more a story about a man discovering himself"
are the words of Russel Crowe in a recent interview, and he's right.
When I went in to see this new film, I wasn't expecting another "Cinderella Man" or "A Beautiful Mind". In fact this new offering from old Rusty, is about as far removed from those pics as you can get.
Crowe plays Max Skinner, and English Bastard of a Stockbroker who only thinks about money and winning. He recieves word that his uncle, who he hasn't spoken to in 10 years has just passed away and left everything to Max. This includes the Chateau and winery in the lush countryside of France. This is also the beautiful place where Max spent the summers of his childhood. However, as the disgruntled and money hungry man that he is now, Max goes over with the only intention to see how much it may be worth - and sell it.
When he arrives he is totally out of his comfort zone and not happy about it. When he arrives at the Chateau it is being run by a quirky but friendly French couple, the wife being a cleaning, cooking, sex siren waiting to burst out, and the husband, a hard working wine man who doesn't see eye to eye with Max. As if this wasn't awkward enough for him, Max starts having flashbacks of his youth and the times spent with his uncle. They are pleasant memories, and the scenes are played out well by Albert Finney as the Uncle and young Freddie Highmore (from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as the young Max.
It soon turns out that Max has a softer, gentler and more humane side to him than we first thought. A beautiful French girl comes into his life, and, well you can figure out the rest.
So is this a good film? I'm sure many of you are curious as to why Crowe would take on a role like this, since winning the Oscar for Gladiator he's been starring in epics, period dramas and more Oscar worthy films. Let me answer that by saying it's all a part of his process. This woman once said to Crowe she thought he only did "A Beautiful Mind" to win an Oscar, and his answer was "she has no idea of the process". In fact, Crowe was well into filming "A Beautiful Mind" before he won his Oscar for Gladiator.
If you look at his earlier work, Crowes characters and choices of films have been varied. He's been an Australian farmer, a racist skinhead and a gay plumber. He's vastly talented and that is clear to see. I think he chose to do this film because he isn't just about those Oscar worthy performances. He's keeping it real and finding new fans and audiences all the time. It should be mentioned that his next film is a cop vs. gangster pic with Denzel Washington, so that proves the point.
Back to the film though. If you like wine, France and a bit of harmless fluff that you'll enjoy while you're watching it but instantly forget about once you walk out the theatre, then A Good Year is the film for you.
When I went in to see this new film, I wasn't expecting another "Cinderella Man" or "A Beautiful Mind". In fact this new offering from old Rusty, is about as far removed from those pics as you can get.
Crowe plays Max Skinner, and English Bastard of a Stockbroker who only thinks about money and winning. He recieves word that his uncle, who he hasn't spoken to in 10 years has just passed away and left everything to Max. This includes the Chateau and winery in the lush countryside of France. This is also the beautiful place where Max spent the summers of his childhood. However, as the disgruntled and money hungry man that he is now, Max goes over with the only intention to see how much it may be worth - and sell it.
When he arrives he is totally out of his comfort zone and not happy about it. When he arrives at the Chateau it is being run by a quirky but friendly French couple, the wife being a cleaning, cooking, sex siren waiting to burst out, and the husband, a hard working wine man who doesn't see eye to eye with Max. As if this wasn't awkward enough for him, Max starts having flashbacks of his youth and the times spent with his uncle. They are pleasant memories, and the scenes are played out well by Albert Finney as the Uncle and young Freddie Highmore (from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as the young Max.
It soon turns out that Max has a softer, gentler and more humane side to him than we first thought. A beautiful French girl comes into his life, and, well you can figure out the rest.
So is this a good film? I'm sure many of you are curious as to why Crowe would take on a role like this, since winning the Oscar for Gladiator he's been starring in epics, period dramas and more Oscar worthy films. Let me answer that by saying it's all a part of his process. This woman once said to Crowe she thought he only did "A Beautiful Mind" to win an Oscar, and his answer was "she has no idea of the process". In fact, Crowe was well into filming "A Beautiful Mind" before he won his Oscar for Gladiator.
If you look at his earlier work, Crowes characters and choices of films have been varied. He's been an Australian farmer, a racist skinhead and a gay plumber. He's vastly talented and that is clear to see. I think he chose to do this film because he isn't just about those Oscar worthy performances. He's keeping it real and finding new fans and audiences all the time. It should be mentioned that his next film is a cop vs. gangster pic with Denzel Washington, so that proves the point.
Back to the film though. If you like wine, France and a bit of harmless fluff that you'll enjoy while you're watching it but instantly forget about once you walk out the theatre, then A Good Year is the film for you.
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