"A Good Year"

I just watched A Good Year (2006), directed by Ridley Scott. It was heart-warming and enjoyable, despite the most negative feedback from the film critics (according to the French daily newspaper, Libération : "Appalling from start to finish, A Good Year collapses under clichés of an ochre Luberon made for a loaded Anglo-Saxon élite.")

I do not see any negativity in this movie; on the contrary, I'd say this movie is a good movie exactly because it's simple. The plot is not like a Lynchian riddle, where you have to use all your brain cells to solve it (not to criticise Lynch, since I'm one of his devoted fans :)). A Good Year is simple and delightful, like its title... and extremely tangible. Some may say that the ending (the predictable decision of the main character, him forgetting about the busy English lifestyle and indulging in the care-free, joy-seeking union with the French girl he falls in love with) was so typical, but I'd say, it was so wise, too, since, this is exactly what the film focuses on to convey, as typical as it may sound: life is short, so live it as much as you can. This might be a cliche, but it doesn't change the fact that it is certainly true. Perhaps this is the only thing we can be sure of in the era of relativity and uncertainty, that, no matter what, no matter how life is and how we live our life, either as a bum, or as a philosopher, it is bound to be short. I'd say this movie is exactly about this, hence it's been titled as A Good Year, not as "A Good Life", for instance, for it's all about fleeting, temporary, transient moments that make the life meaningful. There is a possibility that Max Skinner will have a good year ahead, passionate moments with Fanny, nice romantic nights with the woman he loves for the moment, and an appreciation for the sunny land of Provence. Yet, there is still a possibility that all this passion, hope and comfort will fade away after a while, when the fire of romance gradually dies, and Max starts missing his English lifestyle as a businessman. That's why we have this scene of a short phone conversation between Max and his friend who tries to convince him that this is not going to last forever and he needs to get back to England. This scene is pivotal: Max, as he is watching Fanny's back in tight jeans, simply replies, "we will see" and then hangs up. Perhaps without this scene, A Good Year could end up as "a sappy romantic comedy lacking in charm and humor" [Rotten Tomatoes], but this scene changes A Good Year to a lighthearted outlook on life, a movie which is a relish, rather than a romance, which film critics expect it to be, and thus think of it as a failure.

Anyway, watch the trailer here and see if you like to watch A Good Year after all; in case you decide to watch this movie, you will get to hear some nice French pop songs too... bonne chance :)