a good year

o. gave us one for one tickets to any show at the cathy cinema so we decided to watch 'a good year' and really, any show with russell crowe as the lead is bound to be at least good, at best awesome. if you suspend your belief for the few minor hardly-damaging loopholes, it's a feel good movie without any cheese or over saccharine tricks. ridley scott weaves into the very simple story a flavourful and comfortable concoction of humour and struggles within the human heart and russell crowe's character develops convincingly and he is charming as usual in a very down-to-earth yet cheeky way that i really like, no overacting or gimmicks and the other characters are pretty adorable as well. the end of the film makes you quite hungry after gawking at the delicious homely french cusine and all the drinking of wine and hazy sun-danced landscapes and scenes of happy dining and nostalgia-toned scenes of childhood makes you wish you could just go to france right away and inherit a beautiful french chateau with a vine yard that comes with lovely, homely, happy people. and of course russell crowe's lady of interest (the female lead in 'love me if you dare') 's wardrobe made me think of paul and joe.