Members Reviews Voted Most Helpful
A Good Year review by Kevin Stanley
A Good Year
(2) of (4) members found this review helpful.
A Good Year reunites director Ridley Scott with lead actor Russell Crowe in their first collaboration since Gladiator. And could it be more different? Hardly; Rome is replaced by rural France and swords are replaced by tennis racquets.
Max Skinner is a highly successful investment banker living a financially rewarding life. But when his uncle Henry dies and bequeaths Max his entire estate including a chateau and vineyard called La Siroque in Provence he takes his first holiday from work in years and visits his boyhood summer vacationing spot, with the mercenary intention of selling it to the highest bidder.
But numerous flashbacks to his younger days (step in Freddie Highmore) when he played tennis with Uncle Henry (Albert Finney) and an interest in the local café owner (Marion Cotillard) awakens his softer side.
He’s not all bad but Russell Crowe is still far from the perfect choice to play the role of Max. He’s simply too heavyweight. After lead roles in films like Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind and Cinderella Man he’s just not suited to this sort of film, if indeed he ever was, despite what he might say about previous comedy roles. And most fatally he’s not English.
Freddie Highmore and Albert Finney are good together and add a little heart to the proceedings whilst both Marion Cotillard and Abbie Cornish are watchable if not only for their ability to add a little sexy sizzle to the otherwise rather flat proceedings.
And of course Scott makes sure that at the very least the whole thing looks fabulous. If Crowe’s performance doesn’t make you want to take a trip to France (and it most probably won’t) Scott’s cinematography will have you packing your bags and booking your flights as soon as you get home.
A Good Year is a good film, with good intentions and good performances, but it won’t be the toast of the town.
|
|
|
Recent Reviews of A Good Year by our members
A Good Year review by TR
A Good year, maybe, but not a good film
(0) of (2) members found this review helpful.
What seemed like a great little storyline in the trailer, soon turned out to be a film full of poor acting. The kind of stupidly, unamusing antics portrayed by Russell Crowe's character soon had us reaching for the coffee to keep us awake! If you REALLY don't have anything better to do on a VERY rainy afternoon, then it might be worth a watch...otherwise, forget it.
|
|
|
To rent A Good Year just join the Cinema Paradiso DVD rental service today and get a free DVD rental trial.
