ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ

Ridley Scott's sun-dappled tale of wine-making in the wilds of Provence slips down easily enough but leaves a nasty residue on the palate. Russell Crowe begins the story as a deeply unpleasant stockbroker and completes it as a deeply unpleasant vintner with a palatial estate and a pretty girl on his arm. A wish-fulfilment fantasy aimed squarely at middle-aged men, A Good Year might be forgiveable if it wasn't so perilously short on jokes.

The film is based on an airport novel by Peter Mayle, who has been banging on about Provence in prose since, oh, the dawn of time. This latest effort is another variation on the well-worn template of a soul-less city boy discovering his inner bumpkin in a picturesque corner of Europe. In this case, it's rapacious broker Max Skinner (Crowe, doing that fruity British accent again) who inherits a struggling vineyard from his late uncle, played in flashback by the redoubtable Albert Finney. Naturally, Skinner wants to sell the place off for a quick buck, but the charms of a local waitress (Marion Cotillard, giving it plenty of baguette and stripey jumper) contrive to keep him hanging around.

"LIKE A RENAULT CLIO COMMERCIAL"

Mayle stretches his skimpy premise with a spot of lukewarm intrigue involving a long-lost relative and a mysterious super-wine, but frankly, the whole thing still feels like a feature length Renault Clio commercial. Not much of a surprise, considering that both director and writer hail from the world of advertising. Scott has not lost his eye for a ravishing composition, and the estate looks as pretty as a brochure. But he's got no feel for comedy, and Crowe appears distinctly uncomfortable with the Jacques Tati pratfalls he's forced to undertake.