London banker Max Skinner (Russell Crowe) is a cutthroat workaholic who cares only about winning and making money. During his rise to the top, Max has forgotten the important life lessons that his favourite uncle, Henry (Albert Finney), taught him during summers at his vineyard in Provence. Estranged from Henry for years, Max is surprised to learn that his uncle has passed away and as his closest living relative, he is set to inherit the estate, La Siroque. True to form, Max heads down to Provence for a quick visit in order to assess the value of the property with dollar signs in his eyes. Once immersed in Henry's world and the charm of La Siroque, Max begins to remember his visits and how much Henry and those summers meant to him. Other surprises--including a budding romance with fetching local cafe owner Fanny Chenal (Marion Cotillard) and a visit from a young American claiming to be Henry's illegitimate daughter (Abbie Cornish)--prolong Max's visit, making Provence more and more difficult to resist. Can Max be content leaving his fast-paced life in London for lazy days in a French vineyard? Or will he sell his estate to the highest bidder, memories and all, and return to his hectic lifestyle? Crowe shows his softer-side--and even throws in some physical comedy--as a man revisiting his past and considering his future. Finney is a charmer as Henry in flashback scenes (where Freddie Highmore plays a young Max) that establish his character's joie de vivre and the tender relationship shared between uncle and nephew.

Mar 2007

Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott team up for the first time since Gladiator in this moving drama about work, wine and redemption.

Max Skinner (an excellent Crowe) is the most ambitious investment broker in London – arrogant, cruel, underhanded and conniving – and living what he considers to be the good life. His entire world is turned upside down when he finds out he has inherited a vineyard in France from his Uncle Henry (Albert Finney). Having left his past behind, Max is forced to return to his childhood home, where unwanted memories threaten to damage his new ruthless self.

Initially, Max rushes to sell the old vineyard, but while visiting the rundown farmhouse he feels relaxed for the first time in years, and everything begins to change. Love blossoms, regrets deepen and Max's narcissism begins to fade, revealing a kinder, sweeter man that many thought destroyed by greed and ambition.

Based on Peter Mayle's novel of the same name, A Good Year is a vintage piece of quality drama. Moving, witty and heart-warming, this is a rare gem of a film.

David Scullion, HMV Cambridge

• light, breezy and charming - Time Out