IMDb > A Good Year (2006)
A Good Year
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

A Good Year (2006) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 28 | slideshow) Videos (see all 12 NEW)
A Good Year (2006) -- A British investment broker inherits his uncle's chateau and vineyard in Provence, where he spent much of his childhood. He discovers a new laid-back lifestyle as he tries to renovate the estate to be sold.
A Good Year (2006) -- A British investment broker inherits his uncle's chateau and vineyard in Provence, where he spent much of his childhood. He discovers a new laid-back lifestyle as he tries to renovate the estate to be sold.
A Good Year (2006) -- A British investment broker inherits his uncle's chateau and vineyard in Provence, where he spent much of his childhood. He discovers a new laid-back lifestyle as he tries to renovate the estate to be sold.
A Good Year (2006) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)
A Good Year (2006) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   19,632 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Ridley Scott
Writers (WGA):
Marc Klein (screenplay)
Peter Mayle (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for A Good Year on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
10 November 2006 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama | Romance more
Tagline:
Everything matures... eventually. more
Plot:
A British investment broker inherits his uncle's chateau and vineyard in Provence, where he spent much of his childhood. He discovers a new laid-back lifestyle as he tries to renovate the estate to be sold. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
2 nominations more
User Comments:
Very enjoyable - ignore the reviews! more (138 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Russell Crowe ... Max Skinner

Marion Cotillard ... Fanny Chenal

Albert Finney ... Uncle Henry Skinner

Freddie Highmore ... Young Max Skinner
Rafe Spall ... Kenny

Archie Panjabi ... Gemma
Richard Coyle ... Amis

Tom Hollander ... Charlie Willis
Ben Righton ... Trader #1

Patrick Kennedy ... Trader #2
Ali Rhodes ... 20-Something Beauty

Daniel Mays ... Bert the Doorman
Nila Aalia ... Newscaster #1
Stephen Hudson ... Newscaster #2
Giannina Facio ... Maitre D'
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for language and some sexual content.
Runtime:
118 min | Canada:118 min (Toronto International Film Festival)
Country:
USA
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Aaron Eckhart originally had a role in this film, but dropped out. more
Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Max asks his sibling Christie where she got the "Halston" at the Duflot's dinner party. The dress she wears in the scene is actually made by modern day Los Angeles cotton manufacturer American Apparel. more
Quotes:
Charlie Willis: I nursed you through second degree burns. My fingers are damaged.
Christie Roberts: Frostbitten
Charlie Willis: Like your heart.
more
Movie Connections:
References Two for the Road (1967) more
Soundtrack:
J'attendrai more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
179 out of 211 people found the following comment useful.
Very enjoyable - ignore the reviews!, 5 November 2006
7/10
Author: sarum100 from United Kingdom

This is definitely the first time I have gone to see an Russell Crowe and/or Ridley Scott film at the cinema, fully bracing myself to be disappointed and...

I am very pleased to be able to say that I enjoyed it thoroughly. It has a very warming glow to it - beautifully played; gorgeously shot. Anyone who isn't just a little bit seduced by Provence after seeing it needs their head (or more likely their heart) examining. The lessons may well have been taught in a hundred films before, but that doesn't make them any less relevant or resonant for the commercial era in which many of us now live...

So, why the terrible reviews? I really don't know. The comedy was not overplayed in the way implied by the critics at all. To be blunt, it was not really necessary, as the warmth and effectiveness of the film and story lies in the romantic drama. The comedy is fine, but doesn't really add anything to the film. However, it does give it a very upbeat, cheerful and likable feel and maybe that is reason enough.

Max's character and Russell Crowe's performance? It's in the quieter moments where Crowe really excels and shows just why someone would want to cast him, as opposed to say Hugh Grant, in a film like this. His reactions to memories and the things that other characters do and say are just so much deeper and more real than Grant is capable of: which is why Grant always comes off as the same character in these films (a variation on the Grant formula) and Max comes off as real.

It almost seems as though the critics have a film with this plot pegged into a box: because they can only see (and can only expect to see) a Hugh Grant characterisation, they cannot accept anything other than a Hugh Grant characterisation. Whereas the actual reason that Crowe doesn't come off as Hugh Grant is because he isn't channelling that kind of characterisation at all. This is a very different kind of film.

Also, the critics seem to be completely off the mark in assessing the character, when they say that he starts off a bastard and ends a bastard too. Actually, this is far more about unearthing other qualities - not completely rejecting those 'bastard' qualities that he begins the film with, but refining and diluting them, as he becomes more and more adjusted to his past. He doesn't change, he opens his heart and mind to qualities that he has been ignoring within himself. You can see that other Max from the moment he opens the letter telling him Henry is dead - but he tries to resist the feelings that are clearly there, in large part because he doesn't want to face the fact that he has let his Uncle down - and all of the guilt that is allied with that.

The film is not the best film I have ever seen. The questions it asks are fairly fundamental, but they aren't startling or especially thought provoking.

But the film is highly enjoyable, from start to finish; and it's warm, something that is pretty rare in films these days.

So, to end, clearly I am not in tune with the critics - but then, increasingly that seems to be the case nowadays. I just think that I see completely different films to them...

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (138 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for A Good Year (2006)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
what was with the special 'CR' wine? friedlsc
The french lawyer/person handling the estate vampiricdiva81
What pinstripe sport coat does he wear? fotikatsny
Will this come out on Blu Ray??? mblock-9
Hugh Grant or Colin Firth would've been best arsenalsavio
Fell in love with the car. sebone747
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Sideways Sense and Sensibility Le château de ma mère Intolerable Cruelty Metroland
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Comedy section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.