Now I know that Ridley Scott can do good work around stories and characters and bring out a certain longevity that reside in the world of cinema, and at this point we have come to expect great things from him as a result. However it’s amazing to me that an adaptation of a book by Peter Mayle (A Life in the Province) and is essentially a Rom-Com from Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe, has somehow ended up being, probably one of the worst films from Scott thus far.
The story itself centers around a posh, eccentric English cad and trader played by Russell Crowe (stay with me here!) who is self-centered, care free and generally small-minded. It soon comes to his attention that his uncle, who he shared childhood memories with at his chateau in France, has departed this world and the chateau itself is left to him. Self centred as he is, he sees a business opportunity to sell it and get a good deal from it. He arrives in Province at the Chateau and sees how run down it is, seeing how things haven’t been maintained like the pool and wine cellar underneath and while finding out there is an issue with selling it he is made to stay there longer. It isn’t long before he soon begins to feel nostalgic for the whole place, everyone and everything in the beautiful town of Province and maybe, just maybe he may not want to leave everything after all.
From even the first couple of scenes I can tell how irritating the lead protagonist is going to be and the first of many problems is this, Russell Crowe can’t do charming British comedy. His miscasting is so obvious you would have thought he had just stumbled on to the set from a late night party and they just stuck a camera on him. He is clearly trying to emulate actors like Hugh Grant or Colin Firth with over-the-top British smugness but it just comes across as laughably inert, creating an unlikeable central protagonist who you really wish would just sell the house so that the film would be over with. Ridley as well doesn’t escape blame either, there are scenes where he is trying to stage situation comedy but because comedy isn’t Scott’s forte you are only left befuddled as a result.
The film becomes tiresome and predictable, with no comedic timing whatsoever as we have to watch Crowe stumble his way through Provence and with a borderline offensive posh english accent to top. Would any good actor carry out the role with some any dignity? I’d say no because a bad script is a bad script and Scott is clearly out of his depth and comfort zone attempting to make a Rom-Com that lacks either of those two elements. I am glad that this film provided a holiday for those involved, but having to watch them on holiday is far less interesting than it might have seen on paper.
This film provides a love interest in the form of Marion Cotillard who initially hates Crowe’s character because of an incident involving his car but you know as it goes on that she will start to fall for his charms and see something in him that she may have misjudged at initial glance. This film doesn’t work at all, it’s not as romantic as it should be because there is no chemistry between the two, the comedy isn’t there because Scott and Crowe aren’t natural comedy makers and there simply isn’t anything you haven’t already seen before – aside from Russell Crowe badly doing a posh British type which defies belief when seeing it and hopefully not again. Maybe there is a chance that Ridley Scott could make a great Rom-Com in the near future – but for now let’s go back to basics eh?
1 and a half/ 5
Filmlife 