Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe’s Gladiator follow-up was a disastrous 26% rated romantic comedy

After collecting Oscars for Best Picture and Best Actor, Gladiator Proved that director Ridley Scott and leading man Russell Crowe are a formidable partnership – and yet, despite this success, the pair’s follow-up project is almost the polar opposite of the historical epic in every conceivable way. won critical acclaim and triumphed at the box office—in addition to receiving multiple awards— Gladiator Seemed to indicate a clear path forward for any future Scott/Crowe collaborations. This makes what happened in 2006 seem even more difficult to explain.

For both Scott and Crowe, Gladiator A purple patch came in the middle. Crowe burst onto the scene with his stand-out performance in LA Confidential and followed Gladiator Up with critical hits like A beautiful view, master and commanderAnd Cinderella man. While Scott’s record is more mixed, Gladiator Presaged the likes of Black Hawk down And Matchstick people – Both increased his legendary reputation. In both men’s careers, there was a focus on important stories with emotional depth and cultural impact. Surprisingly, that went out the window with their 2006 team-up, A good year.

A good year was Scott & Crowe’s disappointing Gladiator follow-up

It was done everywhere that Gladiator succeeded

Given that Gladiator Successful thanks to the epic scope of its story, the impressive spectacle of the Colosseum, and Russell Crowe’s grimly commanding performance as Maximus, you could be forgiven for thinking that Scott and Crowe’s next movie would try and repeat the formula. And yet, in an apparent bid to prove their range and flexibility, the pair decided to come together again for the ill-judged romantic comedy, A good year. Needless to say, it did not work as they had hoped.

The film sees Crowe as a stockbroker in London who becomes embroiled in legal issues after inheriting a French property. Despite looking for a quick sale, he is slowly engaged in the local people and wine, beginning to gain a new perspective on life. narrative, It’s about as far away from Gladiator How it is possible to get.

While Gladiator Made over $460 million worldwide and secured five Oscars, A good year was panned by critics and bombed at the box office. Against a budget of $35 million, the movie made only $42 million – A reported loss of $20 million for the studio (via Variety). To add insult to injury, only 26% of critics gave the film a good review, highlighting a litany of issues from casting to script.

Why a good year was such a disappointment

There were several flaws with the project

Although it was very different from GladiatorIt is not immediately obvious A good year It would be such a disaster. Both Crowe and Scott have proven their movie pedigree time and time again. Even without GladiatorTheir track record would suggest that they would be more than capable of making the story work. however, A good year‘s failure speaks to a surprising truth of the movie industry – Namely, that not every talent is suitable for every project.

Like the movie’s Rotten tomatoes Critical Consensus states, “A Good Year is a good example of a top-notch director and actor out of their element, in a sappy romantic comedy lacking in charm and humor..” The damning charge demonstrates that The tone and content of the movie are a long way removed from Crowe and Scott’s strengths. It’s telling that in the 18 years since, neither Crowe nor Scott have delved back into rom-com territory, proving that their skills lie elsewhere. Although the subgenre is sometimes dismissed, A good year‘s difficulties prove that making rom-coms can be just as difficult as action epics.

Scott and Crowe have since reconciled (although they didn’t match Gladiator).

They have worked together ever since

Although A good year was Scott and Crowe’s immediate Gladiator After this, it was not the last time that the director and actor came together. The year after their $42 million box office bomb, The couple found redemption with the Oscar-nominated American gangster – a crime biopic also starring Denzel Washington. After that there were more projects Body of Lies And Robin HoodHighlighting how, despite their previous failure, the duo still shared a creative spark.

The later projects – especially American gangster – mitigated much of the reputational damage of A good year. However, it is also fair to say that Gladiator remains the high point of Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe collaborations. Critically, as well as financially, this is easily the pair’s most successful team-up, coming at a time when both men are arguably at the peak of their powers. A good year May have been the nadir, but Scott and Crowe have yet to return to their 2000 heyday.

Sources: Variety, Rotten tomatoes