A Good Year (2006)
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A workaholic London trader inherits a French vineyard and must decide between his high-powered career and a simpler life in Provence.
The story
British investment broker Max Skinner, a successful but arrogant workaholic trader in London, discovers he is the sole beneficiary of his late uncle Henry's vineyard estate in Provence. He travels to the region with the intention of preparing a quick sale of the property. However, his plans are complicated when he accidentally causes a local café owner, Fanny Chenal, to crash her bicycle. After a series of mishaps, including falling into a dirty swimming pool and being suspended from his job in London, Max finds himself forced to stay on the estate, where he must navigate the demands of a dedicated winemaker and the arrival of a young woman claiming to be his uncle's daughter.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Max Skinner, a workaholic London trader, inherits his Uncle Henry's vineyard in Provence. While attempting to sell the estate quickly, Max causes a local woman, Fanny Chenal, to crash her bike. After falling into a dirty pool and missing his flight back to London, Max is suspended from work for a week. He meets the gruff winemaker Francis Duflot and a young woman named Christie Roberts, who claims to be Henry's illegitimate daughter. Max discovers that French law makes Christie the rightful heir to the estate. While trying to manage the property and his London business, Max becomes enamored with Fanny. He eventually discovers that his uncle and Duflot produced a high-quality 'illegal' wine. After a series of events involving a forged letter to Christie and a choice offered by his company chairman, Max decides to leave his London life behind. He sells his London residence, returns to Provence, and enters a relationship with Fanny, while Christie and Duflot jointly run the vineyard.
- First release year
- 2006
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ridley Scott
- Writers
- Marc Klein · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Russell Crowe · Max Skinner; Albert Finney · Uncle Henry; Marion Cotillard · Fanny Chenal; Tom Hollander · Charlie Willis; Freddie Highmore · young Max Skinner; Abbie Cornish · Christie Roberts; Didier Bourdon · Francis Duflot; Archie Panjabi · Gemma
- Genres
- romantic comedy-drama
- Themes
- Work-life balance; Inheritance; Romance; Tradition vs. Modernity
- Tone and mood
- Romantic; Sappy; Sumptuous
- Premise and plot tags
- Wine; Romance; Inheritance; Comedy-Drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2004 novel by Peter Mayle
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box office bomb, grossing $42.3 million against its $35 million budget, resulting in a $20 million loss for Fox.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 47 · scale: 100 · review count: 33
- Awards and nominations
- Critics Choice Award · Best Young Actor · Nomination; Satellite Award · Best Cinematography · Nomination
- Production trivia
- Ridley Scott owned a house in Provence for fifteen years before filming.; The tennis court was built from scratch using posts straight from the Wimbledon courts.; The wine cellar from a nearby hotel was used because the original wine cave was being used.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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