A good year [videorecording DVD]

From:  Jackie Cantwell

Title:   A good year [videorecording DVD]

This is a true romantic comedy. It’s been so long since I’ve seen a movie that just made me smile, and  feel good. This movie was released in 2006. I’ve seen Russell Crowe in so many dramas, so it is a revelation to see him as a romantic lead. He plays a stock broker, Max Skinner, in London, who inherits his uncle’s vineyard in Provence. Max is a big shot who lives and breathes his work. He goes to the vineyard with the intent to sell it. Will he cash in, or does life on the estate agree with him? There are terrific comedic turns by Archie Panjabi and Tom Hollander, who play Max’s assistant and best friend, respectively. Didier Bourdon and Isabelle Candelier play Monsieur and Madame Duflot, the caretakers of the property.  Mr. Duflot is so attached to the vineyard that he refers to it as “my vines” while his sensuous wife cooks and cleans with flair. Marion Cotillard is (to quote Max) “a vision”; I imagine the audience falling in love with her.  Most audiences would find this film inoffensive as there is no violence and no graphic sexual content. This film is a tad predictable but in no way does that detract from its charm.