Plot

A British investment broker inherits his uncle's chateau and vineyard in Provence, where he spent much of his childhood. He discovers a new laid-back lifestyle as he tries to renovate the estate to be sold.

After years of no contact with his Uncle Henry, London banker and bond trader Max Skinner learns that Henry has died intestate, so Max inherits a château and vineyard in Provence. Max spent part of his childhood there, learning maxims and how to win and lose, and honing his killer instinct (at chess, which serves him well in finance). Max goes to France intent on selling the property. He spends a few days there, getting the property ready to show. Memories, a beautiful woman, and a young American who says she's Henry's illegitimate daughter interrupt his plans. Did Max the boy know things that Max the man has forgotten?—<jhailey@hotmail.com>

Max Skinner is a cutthroat London investment broker who has always done ungentlemanly things to get ahead, although he has been more blatant about it when he became an adult and got into the business world. He is completely obsessed with work, with the occasional casual sexual liaison with women who catch his eye as his only diversion. Despite being estranged for years when Max in his own words became an "asshole", he learns that through a legal issue, he, as the sole living relation, has inherited his Uncle Henry Skinner's entire estate, which includes a now run-down château and vineyard in the Provence region of France. Max spent much time with Uncle Henry at the château as a child after his parents died. For twenty years, the vineyard has been under the production of Francis Duflot, who, despite his dedication, only produces second rate wines with the existing vines, while the land itself is maintained by the landowner. Max has no intention of keeping any of it, planning to fix up the place cosmetically in a few days before selling the entire lot, which may leave the Duflots out in the cold, about which Max does not care. In Provence, all of Max's plans could change by: some issues around the latest not quite ethical trades he authorized; the appearance of a young American wine brat named Christie Roberts who is looking for a connection to her past; Max's encounters with a local woman named Fanny Chenal with whom there is a fine line between love and hate; and sensory memories of his Uncle Henry and what he tried to teach him in those formative years.—Huggo

Young Max Skinner (Russell Crowe), whose parents died in an accident, spends his childhood summer holidays learning to appreciate the finer things at his Uncle Henry's (Albert Finney) vineyard estate in Provence in southeastern France. Max learns about the vintages and tastes of wines from Uncle Henry. He also learns that a blue suit is indispensable and learns to play chess. Uncle Henry also taught Max to lose gracefully. He says that losing is inevitable and the trick is not to make a habit of it.

Twenty-five years later, Max is a successful but arrogant workaholic trader in London with a Cheeky-Chappy persona. Max is a master manipulator of the markets. He engineers a crisis in bonds by selling them. This prompts the other holders to sell them as they believe that the market is tanking, and then he buys the same bonds back for cheap. He makes $77 million in one day of trading. There is talk of insider trading and market manipulation. Bert (Daniel Mays) is the doorman of the exclusive apartment where he stays. Max thrives on people hating him. Charlie Willis (Tom Hollander) is Max's real estate agent in London.

Following his uncle's death, Max is the sole beneficiary of the French property. He travels to Provence to prepare a quick sale. Max arrives at the estate and has a brief tinge of nostalgia when he remembers all the places where he spent time with Uncle Henry. Charlie continues to guide Max on the proper legal procedure to sell the estate as fast as possible. Charlie gets Max to get the soil of the vineyard tested and get some photos to get the best value out of the sale.

Shortly after arriving, by driving while fumbling with a cell phone (talking to Charlie and trying to write down his email ID), he unknowingly causes a local cafe owner, Fanny Chenal (Marion Cotillard), to crash her bicycle. Subsequently, he discovers that his latest City financial stunt has caused real trouble for the owners of the trading company he works for, and he is ordered to return to London as soon as possible. Nathalie Auzet (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) is the town Notaire. A Notaire is a government-appointed lawyer whose role is essential for all real estate transactions: if property is bought, sold, donated or inherited, a Notaire will draft the act, record it, levy the appropriate taxes (such as inheritance taxes), and deliver the deeds of property. Max tells Auzet that he plans to sell the estate and return to his life in London

To assist in his planned sale of the property, Max hurriedly snaps some photos and, in the process, falls into an empty swimming pool. He is unable to escape until Fanny, driving by and spotting his rental car, turns on the water supply in retaliation. This delay causes Max to miss his flight and, having failed to report to the directors in person, he is suspended from work and trading activities for one week.

On Henry's estate, Max must deal with a gruff, dedicated winemaker, Francis Duflot (Didier Bourdon), who fears being separated from his precious vines. Duflot tells Max that Uncle Henry didn't want Max to sell the property, but Max is clear that they can never be certain as Henry never left a will. Max offers a generous settlement to Duflot when he sells the estate, but this only insults Duflot. Duflot pays a vineyard inspector to tell Max that the soil is bad and the vines worthless.

Charlie and Max anyways had the strategy to sell the estate to an American buyer, who would not know anything about vines.

They are surprised by the arrival of young Napa Valley Oenophile Christie Roberts (Abbie Cornish), who is backpacking through Europe and claims to be Henry's previously unknown illegitimate daughter. Max realizes, but does not tell her, that French law decrees that even though she is not his uncle's legitimate daughter, she still becomes the rightful heir to the Chateau and vineyards.

As Max did earlier, Christie finds the house wine unpalatable but is impressed by Max's casual offering of the boutique Le Coin Perdu ("the lost corner") vintage, noting some intriguing characteristics. During dinner at the Duflot house, while slightly inebriated, Max exposes his concern that she might lay claim to the estate and brusquely interrogates her. Max's assistant Gemma (Archie Panjabi) warns him of the ambitious antics of other employees. To ensure he is not usurped by Kenny (Rafe Spall), his second-in-command in London, through whom Max continues to direct trades, he intentionally gives the ambitious young trader bad advice, getting him fired.

Max becomes enamored with Fanny, who is rumored to have sworn off men. He successfully woos her into his bed. She leaves him the next morning, expecting him to return to his life in London. A disillusioned Christie also decides to move on. Max finds his uncle's memoirs, which contain proof of her heritage. Max bids her farewell while handing her an unexplained note inside a book she was reading. While informing Duflot of the pending estate sale, Max learns that the mysterious expensive Le Coin Perdu was made by Henry and Duflot with "illegal vines" from the estate, bypassing wine classification and appellation laws.

The estate is sold and Max returns to London where Sir Nigel (Kenneth Cranham), the company chairman, offers him a choice: either a large discharge settlement, or the partnership in the trading firm. Max asks about Nigel's art in the conference room, van Gogh's "Road with Cypress and Star", which Fanny has a copy of in her restaurant. Upon Nigel's dismissive comment that the real one is kept in a vault and the $200,000 copy in the office is for show, Max reconsiders if he wants to still be like Nigel.

Max invalidates the estate's sale with the farewell letter he gave to Christie, which he forged, along with real photos confirming Christie as Henry's daughter with a valid claim to the entire estate. (As a child, Max signed checks for his uncle and is able to replicate his handwriting.)

He puts his London residence up for sale and returns to Provence, entering into a relationship with Fanny, both of them remembering their connection as kids. Christie also returns and she and Francis jointly run the vineyard while trying to reconcile their vastly different philosophies of wine production. This enables Max to focus his entire attention on Fanny.