9 Reviews from the Land of JBU Cinema: "A Good Year"

Written for various prompts in and out of my Cinema classes at John Brown this past semester, these reviews/analyses seemed to warrant inclusion here.

Romantic comedy struck many people, myself included, as an odd choice of genre for Ridley Scott and his favorite lead actor Russell Crowe. “A Good Year” is a huge departure from Scott’s typically gritty subject matter, and the character of Max Skinner is nowhere close to the tough guy roles that we’re used to seeing Crowe inhabit. The final result is, therefore, understandably awkward at times. Scott tries everything in his power to keep the energy level up, even resorting to humor that can really only be described as slapstick. When this happens, it feels forced, and verges on exhausting at times. But Scott and Crowe (who will never have to prove his dramatic range in any other way) did manage to get some big laughs from me, and I’ve never considered myself to be much of a comedy person. Perhaps the most fascinating thing about “A Good Year” is that it is still, through and through, a distinctively Ridley Scott production, even down to his characteristic pans, move-ins, and impeccable credit typography.

The thematic use of color in “A Good Year” is clever, but not really original or groundbreaking. Steven Soderbergh’s “Traffic” is another good example of this concept. It utilizes different color temperatures to distinguish between its many storylines, and to show the emotional and ideological remoteness of some characters from the subject of drugs. Ridley Scott uses contrasting warm and cool color temperatures here to contrast the cold, calculating worldview of the London stock exchange with the balmy, down-to-earth ethos of the vineyard workers in Provence. In so doing, the distinctness of the two worlds from each other is made clear, and we really do get a sense of how far removed Max’s adult beliefs are from the ideals that his Uncle tried to instill within him in childhood. 

But then again, when we first meet Max, he is essentially an oversized child. He’s got the life experience of a thirty-five year old, but he’s still interested mostly in winning, making money, and gloating over his vanquished financial opponents. Beyond those things, he really takes nothing seriously. The blue hues and plush settings of his world in London are the polar opposite of his Uncle’s world in Provence: superficial, glossy, and sterile, like he is (on an emotional level). The sunny tones of the vineyard in France, like Uncle Henry, may seem more frivolous and lazy in comparison, but they actually reflect a deeper truth: simple living yields many more joys than living for worldly success. “A Good Year” isn’t about Skinner’s shift from living responsibly to living freely; it is about his realization that a more fulfilling life awaits him when he is not living for empty wealth. He is finally growing up.