A Walk in the Clouds (1995)

(In French, On Cable TV, June 2020) Charming, dull, ordinary, overwrought—all of these things are true about A Walk in the Clouds, a post-WW2 historical romance that travels to the vineyards of California’s Napa Valley for a bit of a romance featuring a lovely Aitana Sánchez-Gijón and… Keanu Reeves?!? Yeah. Director Alfonso Arau manages to make the slight and melodramatic script look better by shooting a film with luminous cinematography to cleanly evoke an idealized portrait of the time, a conclusion that also applies to the actresses and their rather wonderful wardrobe. (Debra Messing is no slouch in a short but thankless role.) Reeves is earnest but too limited for the role—although, like many not-so-good actors, he sounds much better in the French dub. Despite a preposterous ending, A Walk in the Clouds is easy viewing, a bit dull at times but still comfortable material considering that there’s never any doubt as to how it’s all going to be resolved.