New Delhi

An engaging story of a picturesque villa, and a plot lost in Delhi... .

SANGEETA BAROOAH PISHAROTY

A GOOD YEAR

(At PVR Saket and other Delhi theatres)

Wow! The magic of France! The vast expanse of trees, the vineyards, the picture-postcard landscapes, the rambling villas — particularly the chateau of Max Skinner's (Russell Crowe) uncle Henry — and that lovely French food and wine served by candlelight. All this and more can make the audience visit "A Good Year" year after year. Unlike a typical Russell Crowe film, this one is also unlike director Ridley Scott's regular fare. After directing Crowe in "The Gladiator", Scott, also remembered for the Hollywood blockbuster "Black Hawk Down" on the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, has made that frowning Maximus ease into a laugh here as Max. The best part about "A Good Year" is that it is a simple story and so simply told. Perfect for a lazy December afternoon.

An uncle bequeaths his villa and vineyard to his only blood relative, Max, an ambitious London banker trading in bonds. Even as he decides to sell off the inheritance, Henry's illegitimate daughter Christie (Abbe Cornish) crops up with more than a sound knowledge of wines and wineries. A man with a glad eye, Max meanwhile falls for the charms of the gorgeous deli owner Fanny Chenal (Marion Cotillard), only to realise that this time it is for keeps.

The film ends on the expected lines, with a smile on everyone's face. The characters grow as the plot develops. The natural beauty of France shines in comparison to the steel and mortar of London. Unusual for a Hollywood film, the director uses an Indian accent (Max's office assistant) without caricaturing it.

Though with peeling paint and unkempt outdoors, Uncle Henry's chateau seems to have everything if you have the time to look around, signifying the abundance the countryside offers to a city sleeker any day.

As you come out of the theatre, don't misjudge your intentions if a whiff of envy crosses your mind as to why, after all, a lucky Max is not you! Go for it.

WITH LUV... TUMHAARA

(At M2K Pitampura and other theatres)

This one arrives with a whimper. And is likely to go away, quietly, without making too much fuss. Good boys do that. Well, if that be the criterion, then Kamal Nathani is a very good boy indeed. His "With Luv... Tumhaara" has not created even a ripple before its release. Pegged as "a multiplex movie", it seems out of place here too, simply because it goes rambling on and on without any relief in sight. And the masses? Well, they were not there for the show anyway!

Director Nathani's first shot at a romantic film, it shows all the signs of a beginner, a tentative, nervous, jittery starter. First, what it needs is editing out of those superfluous scenes. Written by the director himself, the story could have had punch if only poor acting skills, those unending long scenes, slow sequencing of events, could have been bettered. Result? It becomes an out and out tearjerker. And as if this is not enough, a few hackneyed lines are pumped into the yarn for some comic effect. Comic, ha?

Neither Preeti Jhangiani nor Anupama Varma has ever delivered a performance they can be proud of. They keep their disreputable slate clean here too. Actor Nakul Vaid is nowhere extraordinary. When it comes to acting, the saving grace of the film is clearly Parvin Dabas, though he is no different here from "Khosla Ka Ghosla". Surrounded by a sea of pedestrian fare, his average performances stands out as something brilliant.

The film opens much like a documentary on Delhi, complete with its monuments, Blueline buses and `DL' number plates of cars caught in traffic jams. We understand that Nathani has some experience of making documentaries and we don't mind seeing the known sights again on the screen, but what has this got to do with the development of the plot? Also, the director seems to have completely forgotten to make the characters flower along with the progression of the storyline.

No doubt, the best part of the film, besides the picturesque Manali locales, is its music score. It has the right degree of softness required for a beautiful love story. But alas!

TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY

(PVR Priya and other theatres)

Movies on motor racing are umpteen. Hot wheels, action, anger, disappointments, crash and triumphs, often with a dash of circuit politics, typically truss together such yarns. But Columbia Pictures' "Talladega Nights" has a little more than just this.

Not that this `little extra' makes it any better, but it seems that director Adam McKay and Will Ferrell, the film's story writer and lead actor, felt like presenting this fast-paced narrative more from the human angle than just showing life on the racing circuit. All they want is perhaps to tell a tale of crash and conquest, gained due to sheer fortitude of mind. The means could have been any other sport.

That the film's protagonist, Ricky Bobby (Ferrell), takes his father Reese Bobby's (Gary Cole) craze for motor racing seriously since childhood makes the film roll.

He, however, needs divine intervention from being a "jack man" to a racer, which comes in the form of a split second decision of a racing company to replace its slovenly driver on an unscheduled pit stop to gorge on a chicken sandwich! And if Ricky accidentally gets on to the track and becomes the Numero Uno of American racing circuit, an accident makes him come crashing down, psychologically. He loses his childhood friend, his dazzling wife, the lakeside mansion, the sponsorship...

Though the audience might not have an exact idea of Ricky's one-of-a kind father's bizarre methods of taming his son's fear of racing, which almost extend to the level of a comedy, there is no nail-biting suspense as to whether he would return to the track.

That the characters don't have the grit of "Million Dollar Baby" nor the malice of "The Fast And The Furious" is clear from the start.

Somehow, the characters' get-up - be it their hairdos, costumes or lifestyle - reeks so strongly of the Elvis era. Add to it the dialogue, some humorous, some corny, some just over-the-top, and you can very well guess what this jumble would become finally. Good luck!

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu