If there is some role that Russell Crowe is bad at, then it has yet to be realized. The 42-year-old actor, best known for playing dashing heroes or schizophrenic geniuses, has just proven that he can play the charming business man as well. In A Good Year, Crowe teams up again with director Ridley Scott. They take on a new challenge completely different from Gladiator, which won both of them recognition at the Oscars. This time their mission was to make Crowe charming without the use of a sword. Despite Crowe's best attempts, however, the actor can only accomplish so much with a mediocre plot.
Crowe plays Max Skinner, an over-eager businessman who is willing to do anything to become rich, no matter who he has to step on along the way. His job, however, is put on hold when his estranged uncle has left him a vineyard in Provence. After hearing the news, Max unwillingly travels from London to France in an attempt to sell the property, giving him a few extra million dollars to add to his ever-expanding bank account. Upon arriving in Provence, news of suspicion concerning the validity of his work keeps him in France a few extra days. This is just long enough for him to remember his past and, more importantly, meet the lovely Fanny Chenal (Marion Cotillard), whose long legs and perfect tan are enough to make her the next most popular dorm room poster.
Unlike the good acting, the themes of this movie are hardly original. The story of a businessman who rediscovers himself while stuck in a situation where he is forced to remember his past has been seen before. The plot also takes an awkward turn when an American girl shows up at the vineyard claiming to be the lost daughter of Max's deceased uncle. This creates a confusing dilemma in an already bubbling love story between Max and Fanny. The only aspect -- besides the acting -- that carries the movie along is the beautiful countryside.
A Good Year is not going to satisfy that desire for action and romance. The love aspect of the story doesn't even begin until halfway through the film. The movie, instead, takes a slow journey through the life of a misguided man. A Good Year doesn't necessarily drag but more flows along as if to model the tranquil French way of life. Entertainment takes a backseat in this film, but culture and acting are first-class.
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