Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and director Alfonso Arau certainly captures beauty in "A Walk in the Clouds" maybe a little too well because it makes it all feel a little too beautiful, almost fairytale like with it's warm hues, misty sun lit vistas and an artistic flare which at times becomes a little over whelming. Accompanied by a wonderfully flowing soundtrack by Maurice Jarre and there is barely a scene which isn't gloriously beautiful. But in the search of beauty both from the glorious surroundings and the story Arau ends up over cooking "A Walk in the Clouds" with an ending which is so saccharine that it ruins what had been such a good movie.

After returning from war to find the wife he hurriedly married wanting different things to him, Paul (Keanu Reeves - Speed) heads off to Sacramento with a box of chocolates as he works out what he wants. But along the way he meets Victoria (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon) who is heading back to her parents vineyard where she fears that she will have dishonoured her family because she is unmarried and pregnant. Trying to help out Paul suggests he poses as her husband and then leaves her there as not to bring shame, but things go further than they expected as they fall in love whilst trying to keep up the pretence.

For just over the first hour of "A Walk in the Clouds" everything about the movie worked from the way Arau captures the surrounding scenery, the performances and the story making for an entertaining if slightly obvious romance. I say obvious because from the first time Paul and Victoria meet in a very traditional coincidental meet cute you know where the movie will lead with them falling in love with the shadow of Paul's own ill advised marriage hanging heavy over them. But in a way it doesn't matter that it's so obvious because it's worked well, charming you with the simplicity of them falling in love whilst Victoria's traditional father is opposed to their relationship. You even know that their own fake marriage will eventually unwind to reveal the truth, its how these movies always go. But it's beautifully done making you believe in the romance of it all that Paul being a honourable nice guy would help the lovely stranger and that they could hide the truth from her family.

Even all the humour of this first hour acts as a lovely embellishment such as Victoria's father, Alberto's cantankerous nature to Paul and that Victoria's grandfather, Don Pedro enjoys dipping into the box of chocolates which Paul has with him. It's gentle and amusing delivering a light feel to it even though it's by no means a comedy. Even where Arau starts to over cook things with the rivalry scene whilst picking grapes and the following grape dance scene ,which to be frank feels like it should be in a musical and not in what is purely a romantic drama, doesn't feel too wrong.

But then Arau ends up spoiling all this wonderful build up, all the beautiful scenic shots be them natural or CGI enhanced, all the gentle and obvious romance and traditional angst by delivering an ending which is so sugary sweet that it's uncomfortably corny. Arau's deft touch is lost as slow motion posturing of the final shots makes it all too much to take, all too corny and unbelievable. All I can think of is that he was trying to make the obvious ending all the more romantically epic but in doing so loses all that was charming about the movie by going over the top.

Even so it's impossible to ignore that Arau has an eye for beauty and he delivers such a beautiful movie for that first hour that he whisks you away to a different time and place, a place which is so picture perfect that it makes you wish you were there. He gives us interesting characters that makes us want to live with them as does Paul when he tells Victoria that what she has is what he wished for as an orphan. Shame he then spoilt it with that ending.

The same can be said for the performances because for the first hour not a single one of the movies stars puts a foot wrong. Keanu Reeves doesn't try to make Paul anything more than a decent honourable nice guy looking for something in his life having returned from war. Giancarlo Giannini is brilliant as the proud and protective father Alberto holding on to his traditions with dear life. And Anthony Quinn is just magnificent delivering humour and that old man sage like advice as the grandfather Don Pedro who seems to have a deeper knowledge of what is going on. Although all 3 of them are outshone by the beautiful and talented Aitana Sanchez-Gijon as Victoria who delivers warmth, passion and fun in every single scene. But then every single performance is ruined by that ending which forces them to over act as they deliver mindless dialogue which is corny to say the least.

What this all boils down to is that if Arau had managed to reign in his artistic flare then "A Walk in the Clouds" could have ended up as a stunning modern romantic classic but he ruins it by going over the top to deliver an epically beautiful but ultimately wrong ending. Up until that ending every ounce of "A Walk in the Clouds" is beautiful and well worth a watch even if it's just for the wonderful scenic shots but don't expect to be won over by an obvious and over the top ending.