Fridae

Russell Crowe has had quite a lot of bad press, thanks to his violent temper and his penchant for punching photographers. But he is undoubtedly a gifted actor. And seeing him play a busy city man who decides to become a country bumpkin in this lighthearted dramedy is nothing short of a pleasure. Indeed, anyone who dislikes Russell for picking showy roles (like in Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, Inside Man) might find his turn in A Good Year refreshingly modest and effortless.

Russell plays a high-powered stockbroker (read: scumbag) in London who lives for women, money and cars. He receives news that his late uncle (played by the ever-reliable Albert Finney) has left him in his will a huge French mansion and a sprawling vineyard in Provence, France. Russell wants to sell the place immediately and carry on with his life. But when he goes to visit his uncle's sun-dappled estate with its lovely trees and curvy roads, he starts to change his mind about selling it. The charms of the local waitress (lovely Marion Cotillard) also precipitate the change. Slowly, our tough urbanite begins to abandon the fast track for the slow lane...

Based on a novel by Peter Mayle, A Good Year is directed by the venerable Ridley Scott. Ridley has made a name for himself with spectacular war films (Black Hawk Down, The Kingdom of Heaven), science-fiction classics (Blade Runner, Aliens) and a solid feminist drama (Thelma & Louise). We have rarely seen him shift to a slower gear to make a lightweight trifle like this, but we are glad that he did. In his skilled hands, Provence certainly looks like the most idyllic, sunkissed landscape in the world. Russell's acting, too, is something to be relished. Relaxed and understated, he gives one of his most charming performances yet.

So if you have had a tough week at the office and your nerves are jangled by bad traffic and other annoyances, this is the perfect movie to wind down to.