A Good Year (2006)

A Good Year is a smartly done, French-spirited romantic comedy that stays tart on the tongue. The comedy is subtle but crisp, with an air redolent of romance, and Russell Crowe ultimately wins the blossoming romance that pushed the movie over for me from 4.5 to 5 stars. (A man winning a woman with elegant poetry gets me every time.) Freddie Sizemore is Russell Crowe as a boy, visiting his vintner uncle and absorbing the sights and smells of that life through all his faculties (that later resonate as he inspects the estate he has inherited and plans to sell). Whimsically comedic complications ensue as the heir reconsiders giving up the legacy and life that his uncle willed him to have. Each character has his and her moments to express their personalities and a bit of their past; each is charming in their own ways. There is an irrepressibility to every character that is attractive in this film. You will almost certainly enjoy it unless you are a true curmudgeon or sneered at Under the Tuscan Sun. The soundtrack is memorable too. 5 stars. (5-8-2016)