Posted on: February 7, 2012 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The love story is one of the oldest stories that we have archived. It plays to the most common emotions that individuals have, and in cinema, it is an easy film to make. However, this does not mean that love films are always good. The Chateau Meroux is good, and will have viewers eagerly anticipating what happens to Marla Sokoloff’s main character. This character is given a vineyard by eir father, and the dramatic tension in the film comes with the machinations of Christopher Lloyd’s Nathan and eir son Chris (Barry Watson). Lloyd is the shining star of The Chateau Meroux, with clear motivations and utter assumption of eir role.

The most interesting thing about The Chateau Meroux is how the father figures are portrayed. In both Wendy (Marla) and Chris’s cases, their fathers end up being either ill-informed or outright evil. It is this common ground that ultimately gets them together, but one has to wonder what purpose this parallel construction truly had. I like the fact that this connection is alluded to, but I wonder exactly how it would be fleshed out given a little bit of additional time.

The vibrant scenery employed in The Chateau Meroux is a perfect counterpoint for the drama and emotion brought to the film. Veteran and upcoming actors alike are able to make this film pull at viewers’ heartstrings, while not falling into the traps that a great many romance-based films do. With a solid picture, good story, and great acting, anyone that is a fan of the romance genre would do well to purchase a copy of The Chateau Meroux. The film is available at well-stocked video stores as well as at a number of online retailers.

Rating: 7.2/10

The Chateau Meroux (DVD) / 2012 Anchor Bay / 94 Minutes / http://www.anchorbayentertainment.com

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