So the house is falling apart and the vineyard makes undrinkable wine. Excellent.

A Good Year

(2006)

The only Ridley Scott feature film I hadn't seen, and one I'd been consciously avoiding due to its bad notices. It is seriously hampered by the miscasting of Russell Crowe as Hugh Grant (I almost gave up in the first 5 minutes with his first appearance greeting the staff at his stock broking firm as “lab rats”) and Scott having zero flair for comedy.

There's compensation in the Provence setting, though, which Scott predictably makes so gorgeous that you completely appreciate why Crowe's character comes to view it as an idyll. The supporting cast fare much better than Crowe; Marion Cotillard is adorable, Albert Finney dependable in flashback scenes, and Tom Hollander plays the best friend but would have been a more natural fit for the lead.

**1/2

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