A great Year

Plot

In a prologue, the crowd is brought to young Max Skinner, who spends his summer holidays understanding how to appreciate the finer things in everyday life from his Uncle Henry at his vineyard estate in Provence in southeastern France. Being an adult, Max is definitely an aggressive, hard-working London-based trader whose schemes to make money come dangerously near to criminal activity. Upon word of his uncle's death, he learns he's the only beneficiary of the property and travels to Provence to organize it for any quick sale. Shortly after his arrival, he discovers that his latest financial stunt has landed him in serious trouble with the government with his firm's management, necessitating his go back to London later within the day. Before heading back to the airport, to be able to assist his realtor with the sale, he hurriedly snaps photos of the estate, as well as in doing so, falls into a clear pool. (He's not able to escape until Fanny Chenal, whose bicycle he ran off course together with his careless driving, turns on the water supply in retaliation. ) The resulting delay causes him to overlook his flight, and because he does not report personally to management, he's suspended from work and trading activities for one week.

The week affords Max time to organize the home available. But he or she must deal with the gruff yet dedicated winemaker, Francis Duflot, who fears the sale of the estate will separate him from his precious vines. Duflot pays the vineyard inspector to inform Max the soil isn't good and the vines are worthless. They're surprised at the unexpected arrival of young Even caribbean cruises oenophile Christie Roberts, who's backpacking through Europe and presents herself as Henry's previously unknown illegitimate daughter searching for her long-lost father. Max fears that they may also lay claim to the estate and tries to keep her happy until she decides to depart. Concerned about being usurped by his second-in-command working in london (through whom Max is constantly on the direct trades but who takes all of the credit) Max intentionally provides the ambitious trader bad advice which gets him fired. Max can also be enamored with the very beautiful yet entirely feisty local caf owner Fanny Chenal, who's rumored to possess sworn off men. He successfully woos Fanny, who leaves Max the following morning expecting Max revisit his life working in london; Christie, having found that Max promises to betray Henry's passion, leaves Provence, and Max sells the estate and returns to his life working in london.

Back working in london, management offers Max an option: "money or your life" whether discharge settlement including "lots of zeros" or partnership within the trading firm by which he'd be "made for life". Max chooses the cash and cleverly negates the sale of the estate by orchestrating through a forged letter from Henry that Christie includes a valid claim on the property. He puts up his London residence available and returns to Provence, where Christie and Francis must reconcile their vastly different philosophies of wine production and jointly run the vineyard.

Cast

Russell Crowe..... Max Skinner

Albert Finney..... Uncle Henry

Marion Cotillard..... Fanny Chenal

Abbie Cornish..... Christie Roberts

Didier Bourdon..... Francis Duflot

Isabelle Candelier..... Ludivine Duflot

Freddie Highmore..... Young Max Skinner

Tom Hollander..... Charlie Willis

Rafe Spall...... Kenny

Richard Coyle..... Amis

Archie Panjabi..... Gemma

Kenneth Cranham..... Sir Nigel

Daniel Mays..... Bert the Doorman

Giannina Facio...... Maitre D'

Production

French locations were filmed at Bonnieux and Gordes in Vaucluse, Marseille Provence Airport, and the rail station in Avignon. London locations included Albion Riverside in Battersea, Broadgate, the Bluebird Cafe on Kings Road in Chelsea, and Piccadilly Circus.

Director Scott and novelist Mayle worked together in advertising and commercials three decades ago and both of them are now landowners within the Luberon region of Provence.

The soundtrack includes "Moi Lolita" by Alize, "Breezin' Along with the Breeze" by Josephine Baker, "Gotta Wake up, " "Jump in to the Fire, " and "How Can one Make sure of You" by Harry Nilsson, "Hey Joe" by Johnny Hallyday, "Vous, qui passez sans me voir" and "J'attendrai" by Jean Sablon, "Le chant du gardian" by Tino Rossi, "Je chante" by Charles Trenet, "Old Cape Cod" by Patti Page, "Walk Right Back" through the Everly Brothers, "Boum" by Adrien Chevalier, and "Itsy Bitsy Petit Bikini" by Richard Anthony. The CD includes only 15 songs in the film; several remain out.

Box office

The film was budgeted at $35 million. It grossed $7, 205, 533 in Italy, $4, 247, 140 vacation, $2, 573, 190 around australia and $1, 896, 983 in the uk and Republic of Ireland. It took an additional $7, 459, 300 in Canada and the Usa for any total worldwide gross of $42, 061, 749. Although exceeding its production budget, the gross was significantly less than was hoped. Because of the it had been explained Rupert Murdoch like a "flop" in November 2006.

It has earned over $7 million in US DVD sales.

Critical reception

The film received generally negative reviews. On the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes the film includes a 25% approval rating, and the consensus describes it as being "a sappy romantic comedy without charm and humor".

In his review within the Ny Times, Stephen Holden named it "an innocuous, feel-good movie, " "a sun-dappled romantic diversion, " and "a three-P movie: pleasant, pretty and predictable. One might add piddling... A great Year may be the movie same as poring over a glossy brochure for any luxury vacation you may never afford while a roughneck salesman who imagines he's class harangues you to definitely be quick and make a choice about using the tour. Make an effort to to face up to the pitch. "

Kenneth Turan of the La Times observed, "Though A great Year is placed in French wine country, it's best referred to as small beer. The scenery may be attractive and the cast likewise, but something vital is missing within this all-too-leisurely film... [it] is one of these ever-popular movies by which impossibly rich people, clueless by what really matters, come out to be not capable of experiencing the simple things in everyday life... The truth that we all know precisely what may happen to Max as soon as he appears on the watch's screen isn't wrong with a decent Year. After all, we visit films such as this precisely because the satisfaction of emotional certainty is exactly what we're searching for. What we aren't searching for is really a romantic comedy made by people with no special feeling for that genre who stretch one half hour's price of story to almost 2 hours. "

In Variety, Todd McCarthy known as the film "a divertissement, any excuses for the filmmakers and cast to savor two months in Provence but for the audience, by proxy, to invest an hour or two there. An easy repast comprising sometimes strained slapsticky comedy, a sweet romance along with a life lesson learned, this little picnic doesn't add up to much but falls easily enough... Crowe executes a light-weight change of pace together with his charisma entirely intact... There are moments once the enchanting Cotillard resembles a Gallic, dark-haired Reese Witherspoon, and Aussie Abbie Cornish, in her own first Hollywood film, continues her quick ascent having a perfect Yank accent along with a nice note of observant reserve. The setting could not be made to appear under glorious, and production standards are as much as what one expects from the Scott picture. "

Peter Hartlaub of the Bay area Chronicle said, "Crowe and Scott bring lots of effort to some project that probably meant a great deal to each of them, for entirely different reasons. But despite some stunning visuals and lots of nice moments, the finished product feels as though the work of the actor and director who're from their element. It's tough to disregard the truth that they cook an intimate comedy which has very little romance as well as less comedy... Scott struggles mightily with the finer points of the genre. The comedy is mainly slapstick, and the forced attempts at hilarity sometimes decline to Benny Hill depths which don't fit well with the rest of the visual tone. And the romance is nearly nonexistent before final third of the film, when Max's courtship becomes so rushed it seems foolish even by cinematic standards. "

In the St. Petersburg Times, Steve Persall rated the film B+ and added it "is a lighter choice than normal for that rugged actor as well as for Ridley Scott... A big change of scenery suits them well. Yet they still bring a roguish flavor to the romantic comedy sentiments established by Peter Mayle's novel. This can be a chick flick for dudes, too... A great Year runs in regards to a month too long, but it is difficult to leave this type of lovely place. Scott blends the don't-rush-past-love benefit of Jerry Maguire with the continental air of Underneath the Tuscan Sun for any robustly romantic diversion. "

Jessica Reaves of the Chicago Tribune rated the film two stars from a potential four and described it as being "unbearably sweet and emotionally lifeless. " She added, "Despite the sporadic seductive moment, A great Year disappoints. The film, for those its pretensions of revelatory, life-altering enlightenment, is really about as deep like a wading pool, as substantive as cotton candy. "

In the united kingdom, Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian named it "a humourless cinematic slice of tourist gastro-porn, " while Philip French of the Observer remarked, "I'm not towards veils, but I'd make the best for Ridley Scott's A great Year, over which one ought to be drawn immediately. "

References




^ A great Year at TheNumbers. com


^ Ny Times review

^ La Times review

^ Variety review

^ Bay area Chronicle review

^ St. Petersburg Times review

^ Chicago Tribune review

^ The Guardian review

^ The Observer review

External links

Wikiquote includes a assortment of quotations associated with: A great Year

Official Website

A Good Year in the Internet Movie Database

A Good Year at Allmovie

A Good Year at Rotten Tomatoes

Filming locations in Provence

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Films directed by Ridley Scott

1970s

The Duellists (1977)  Alien (1979)

1980s

Blade Runner (1982)  Legend (1985)  Anyone to Watch Over Me (1987)  Black Rain (1989)

1990s

Thelma & Louise (1991)  1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)  White Squall (1996)  G. I. Jane (1997)

2000s

Gladiator (2000)  Hannibal (2001)  Black Hawk Down (2001)  Matchstick Men (2003)  Kingdom of Heaven (2005)  A great Year (2006)  American Gangster (2007)  Body of Lies (2008)

2010s

Robin Hood (2010)

See also: 1984 (television commercial) (1984), Boy and Bicycle (1965)

Categories: British films | 2006 films | American films | English-language films | 2000s romantic comedy films | Films depending on romance novels | Films directed by Ridley Scott | Films occur London | Wine-related movies | Scott Free productions | Twentieth century Fox films.