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Parents' Guide to

A Good Year

By Jane Boursaw, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Predictable but pleasant movie for teens and up.

Movie PG-13 2006 118 minutes
A Good Year Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Dean M.
Dean M. Parent of 13-year-old
June 27, 2023
age 13+

Beautifully made, well casted, excellent plot

Max starts out as a greedy bast*rd but ends up finding what is important in life. The transformation is beautiful and the movie is so eloquently done. One love scene is very brief and there is no nudity. Minor swearing which is barely noticeable since it is in the French accent. Drinking is involved. This is a movie about a vineyard. Great plot, acting and casting. One of the best movies made.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
lksmithill
lksmithill Parent of 5, 8 and 10-year-old
April 18, 2022
age 14+

Beautiful scenery, predictable plot.

Rated a 12 but there is swearing (f-bombs) at the beginning, the main character goes to bed with a female character and the whole thing is shot with the male gaze in mind.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Max Skinner (Russell Crowe) is a rich, selfish, high-powered London stock trader. He's not interested in slowing down -- until his Uncle Henry (Albert Finney) dies and leaves him a beautiful country chateau and vineyard in France. Max spent many happy summers there as a child, learning about life and winemaking from his wise uncle. Max hasn't been there in 10 years, but now he's forced to take time off from work to handle his uncle's estate. He plans to quickly sell the chateau and return home. But Max misses his plane and gets stuck in France, dealing with all those pesky, warm memories. Before long, he starts to soften, but he's pulled in both directions. He enjoys re-living childhood memories, but he's not quite ready to give up his luxurious London life. Complicating things are feisty Fanny (Marion Cotillard) and Henry's illegitimate daughter, Kristy (Abbie Cornish), both of whom have Max thinking about his future.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (4 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

We've seen this passable movie before in various incarnations -- most notably Under the Tuscan Sun, with Diane Lane in the Russell Crowe part, discovering herself in the Italian countryside. Consequently, there are no surprises here. We know what's going to happen, and we know pretty much how it's going to happen.

That said, A Good Year is a nice production (with beautiful, sun-washed landscapes) by Ridley Scott, a great director who makes audiences care about his characters, even if everyone does know how things are going to turn out. Crowe does the bad-boy-turned-good role well, and manages to keep the pace moving along fairly well. All in all, this movie is a pleasant enough way to spend a couple of hours if you're not looking for anything earth-shattering.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what's important in life: money or family? Max has lived his life solely for himself and his own gain -- how has that affected his quality of life? How can people balance earning a good living with having time for friends and family? Is it possible to do both? What kinds of sacrifices are needed? What does Max learn in the course of the movie?

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