ith "A Good Year", Ridley Scott (Hannibal, Alien, Blade Runner) changes pace and tries his hand at romantic comedy. Based on the best-selling novel by Peter Mayle (who wrote "A Year In Provence"), Good Year stars Russell Crowe as Max Skinner, a wealthy bond trader whose only pleasure in life is making money. Our unscrupulous city boy inherits a Provence vineyard when his uncle dies only to rediscover his new self. Think of it as, say, a testosterone rendition of "Under the Tuscan Sun," (but in two languages. Bien sur!).

Scott teams with Crow after their collaboration on the Oscar-winning "Gladiator." Shot in the beautiful French region of Provence, the movie, written by Marc Klein (Serendipity), is a predictable tale that feels somewhat sitcom-ish, as all subplots are lukewarm and neatly wrapped up by film’s end.

London banker Max Skinner is a ruthless businessman who built an empire trading bonds. He pushes every legal envelop to make his millions, but then hears of the passing of his Uncle Henry (Albert Finney, wonderful as always), with whom he hasn't been in touch in ten years. Max was Henry's closest relative, so even though it's been years since he last visited, Max is the sole beneficiary. Henry leaves him his estate that comes complete with a vineyard.

Irritated that he must trek out into the French countryside to assess “La Siroque," Max is eventually put in a comfortable frame of mind by a mixed bag of French characters that remind him of his childhood days in the region. That childhood is seen in flashbacks as Max hastens to sell the property and get back to his shallow life in London.