Bottle Shock (2008) User Reviews

Delightful Movie Based on a True Story

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 16 September 2014]

In 1976, in the Napa Valley, the perfectionist vigneron Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) is the owner of the Château Montelena that is full of debts and near bankruptcy. Jim is unsuccessfully racking his wine trying to reach perfection. He has a problematic relationship with his hippie son Bo (Chris Pine) and his Mexican foreman and connoisseur Gustavo Brambila (Freddy Rodriguez) is secretly producing wine with his father Mr. Garcia (Miguel Sandoval). Jim hires the free spirit intern Sam Fulton (Rachael Taylor) from UC Davis to help him in the production of wine.

Meanwhile in Paris, the wine expert Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) that owns a specialized store has few clients. His friend Maurice Cantavale (Dennis Farina) advises him to promote his store and he decides to organize a blind tasting competition between the French and the American wines. He travels to Napa Valley to find the best American wines to bring to the dispute. He has a troubled meeting with Jim that refuses to participate in the competition. However Bo foresees the chance of survival of his father's business and gives two bottles to Spurrier. But soon he finds that the color of all the 500 bottles of chardonnay have turned into brown. Is Jim Barrett's business doomed?

"Bottle Shock" is a delightful movie based on a true story. This little but charming movie is not available on DVD in Brazil but only on cable ("O Julgamento de Paris", meaning "The Paris Judgement"), but I bought the American DVD following the advice of a friend of mine from California. The story has a pleasant screenplay with entertaining subplots that might or might not really happen, such as the triangle of love among Sam, Gustavo and Bo, that keeps the plot never boring. The cast has good names associated to the beautiful locations that make this little movie worthwhile watching. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Nice blend of flavors

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 5 July 2014]

It's 1976 Calistoga, California. Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) is desperate to scrap up the money to perfect his chardonnay. His son Bo (Chris Pine) is a lot less patient. Sam Fulton (Rachael Taylor) surprises everybody as the new intern. Gustavo Brambila (Freddy Rodríguez) is the foreman trying to make his own wine, and Bo's best friend. In Paris, sommelier Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) has a failing wine shop. He is challenged by his next door neighbor American Maurice Cantavale (Dennis Farina) to go taste some Californian wine. He goes to find some Californian wines to challenge the french ones in a blind taste test. He has a roadside breakdown and Jim Barrett coincidentally rescues him. He is amazed at Jim's wine and the rest of the area wines.

This is a nice charming true story. Alan Rickman has a friendly snotty attitude. He's snobby without being arrogant. I think that's the key. He's actually likable. As for the romantic triangle, I like the hot girl not picking the handsome leading man but then she changes her mind. It's balanced out by an angry Bill Pullman. He provides the little bit of drama in the movie.

After a shake up, things sometimes settle beautifully

[prittyfire · 8/10 · 18 February 2008]

Admittedly I saw >Bottleshock< at 11:30 p.m., after a long week of trudging through the snow & cold of Sundance. I usually don't go to movies after 7 p.m., because the whole thing quickly devolves into a $10 nap. (Picture sleep-deprived me in a soft velvet chair in a darkened room…) But I was out of time at ye olde film festival, and really wanted to catch this one.

>Bottleshock< scored its first cool points with me for something a (sucky) screen writing school I once attended calls "arena." This means that the setting of the film was a spot that I really enjoyed hanging out in for a couple of hours.

That spot—actually two of them—was Napa and Paris. Though I've spent more time in the latter than the former, I've drunk more of the affordable fruits of Napa, never realizing that it's a relatively recent invention. In fact, the film is based on a true story about how Napa was nada before one day in 1976, when it proved its wines could be as oh-la-la as those of the French.

Charming and sweet, the story is roughly the tale of two oenophiles, who really just wanna matter. One is a California man (Bill Pullman, who quit his gig as a law-firm partner to see if he could cork a decent second career. The other is a fussy, small-time wine shop owner (Alan Rickman) in Paris, dying for un peu respect. And then it's about all these other things too: Slacker kids who turn out okay (Chris Pine); freeloaders who offer priceless advice (Dennis Farina); the groovy granola 70s (starring as themselves); being a Mexican immigrant promoted up the grape chain (Freddy Rodriguez); good love (Rachael Taylor), and bad hair weaves (that would be Pine again).

The adventure lifts us leisurely over the fruited hills of Napa, or sends us rushing vite-vite through the streets of Paris. Ultimately it's Rickman who tries to put himself on the map by getting out of his dusty shop and staging an international taste-off. Everyone assumes the multi-culti French, who gave us brie and fois gras and topless bathing, will take the grand prize. But it turns out to be the hang-loose-dude Californians, who gave us the salad bar, white after Labor Day and the power lunch.

>Bottleshock< is a fun film. I hope it comes to a theater near you. Or that you can queue it up in your Netflix, score some California wine and some runny French cheese, and enjoy it in the comforts of your casa.

Pamela K. Johnson

A sweet story about the birth of the "new world" wines

[harry_tk_yung · 21 September 2008]

Everybody loves a success story, particularly one with an underdog. Hard as it is to believe, the underdog here is the U.S. of A. Rewind to Woodstock (if you are old enough to remember), the Hippies era, and then 7 years after it. The vintage year is 1976 and this is a true story, best for people who appreciate a glass of good wine (but hopefully are not wine snobs), but should also be enjoyable to anyone who appreciates good and fine things in life. This is the story about the end of France's domination, and the beginning of opening up the world's wine market to the "new world" (the American and Australian continents, with even a futuristic nod towards Asia).

The movie opens with panoramic aerial shots of the Napa Valley landscape, with relaxing music that moves between languid and bouncy. Right away, the tone is set. Consciously or otherwise, the audience sits back in the (presumably) comfortable seat and looks forward to a light and hopefully charming movie. Unless it is a particularly hard-to-please audience, "Bottle shock" generally delivers.

This is a true story (albeit not particularly well known) and therefore offers no suspense. Although a "wine layman" may not know exactly how it happened, he knows for a fact that today, when you walk into any wine store, you can get Californian wine (and for that matter, Chilean, Australian and many others) just as easy as you get French wine. The climatic finale of the huge surprise of the Barrett family wine winning a "blind tasting" contest in France will not be a surprise to the audience. What delights them is the process, and the characters involved.

The premises and relationships are all too familiar. There is the divorced father with a post-Hippie era son who is generally labeled as a loser. His way of educating the son is getting into a home-grown boxing rink with him, donning gloves and slugging it out. There is a girl who seeks internship in wine-making this family (bringing romance along the way). There is the ethnic Mexican assistant who knows even more about wine that the father-and-son who is struggling against financial odds to try to make their wine something the Napa Valley can be proud of. And everybody has a burning passion for wine, "sunshine captured in water" as one quotes from a famous saying. With just the right touch, the audience is made to like, but not quite fall madly in love, with these characters. Consistent with the general tone set for this movie, Bill Pullman, Chris Pine, Rachael Taylor and Freddy Rodriguez make it work.

But it is inimitable Alan Rickman that will make you remember this movie. He plays the English wine store owner in Paris who set out to California to explore business opportunities for American wine. Initially skeptical and snobbish, he gradually develops into the endearing hero who re-writes the history of wine for the modern world and, in the process, rescues the Barrett family from the jaws of failure. Rickman's performance is as close as you can ever get to superb vintage wine.

A funny feel-good film

[kkkathryn1019 · 7/10 · 14 January 2010]

This charming comedy tells the true story of the Château Montelena winery in 1976 Calistoga, CA and how it helped American (specifically Californian) wine break into the sophisticated wine market previously dominated by France.

The financially struggling winery is run by perfectionist Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman), with assistance from Gustavo (Freddy Rodriguez, "Six Feet Under"), the son of a Mexican field hand who has aspirations of opening his own winery. Also along for the ride is Jim's hippie son, the long-haired, good-natured Bo (Chris Pine of "Star Trek") who has dropped out of college and is stuck in a stagnant existence. When the film opens young intern Sam (Rachael Taylor) has joined the winery to learn all she can about viniculture.

Meanwhile, British wine snob Steven Spurrier (a delightful Alan Rickman) has journeyed from his struggling wine shop in Paris to Napa Valley to see what all the fuss is about regarding California wine. Impressed by the quality of vino across the pond, Spurrier arranges the famous blind taste testing wine competition in Paris. Eliza Dushku ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Bring it On"), plays a local barmaid who helps Bo get Château Montelena's wine into the competition.

"Bottle Shock" is light and funny, with solid performances from the entire cast and a charming, genuinely interesting true story behind it. An enjoyable rental.

Bottle Shock

[scubadivekona · 7/10 · 28 January 2008]

Fun movie, and funnier than I thought it would be. Rickman was fantastic. I've never been a huge fan of his, but I really saw his talent and sense of humor come thru in this movie. I think even he might laugh during the movie.

I must say, when heard about this movie at Sundance, I thought it was going to give a documentary treatment to the wine competition in Paris. I thought it would something I'd sip red wine to, with a fellow wine geek. Instead this movie was VERY entertaining. It put me more in the mood to drink a good bottle of white with my wife, and...well, you get the idea.

The movie is not without some quirks, but I think a non-critic will "like it a lot," as Freddy Rodriguez says about his wine. It is a feast for the eyes. I can't wait to see it on Blu-Ray!

I loved it.

[JayHolben · 10/10 · 27 January 2008]

I have to disagree with the negative comments. Of the six or so films I saw, this one was the best. First off, it was beautifully shot. The scenery that was captured is going to get people to visit Napa on it's own. Alan Rickman was as great as always, and Freddy Rodriguez was amazing. Bill Pullman's character, as the owner of the winery, had a terrific arc. I understand that elements of the story were fictionalized, but I come to expect that with most "based on a true story" films.

There were some great, touching scenes between the father (Pullman) and son (Chris Pine) and with Rodriguez as almost a "son he never had" type of character. Oh, and Dennis Farina nearly steals the scenes with Rickman he's so funny - I have to say nearly, because I love Rickman.

In all it was thoroughly enjoyable, and I talked it up with several other movie goers on the tram ride afterward, and EVERYONE I spoke to loved it.

Audience please for this little gem

[DaveGu · 7/10 · 6 September 2008]

My wife and I have been wanting to see this movie for awhile now. With the kids busy, we got our chance yesterday evening. Our first theater trip was a disappointment in that the movie had "left the building" the day before; our fault for not checking. Manager did mention that the movie was a good one, but nobody came. Looking for another theater we were lucky to find one close. 6:25 here we come.

We were both glad we made the second trip and saw this movie. Interesting hidden story while our country was busy with its 200th birthday. Remember the red, white and blue toilet paper? Alan Rickman was wonderful as usual. He, IMO doesn't get enough work or is content with his current lot. Other actors were well cast and the flipping from Napa to France was not at all distracting, although I wish a bit more time was spent in the wine country in France. And where did Dennis Farina get that suit he wore during the tasting contest outside of Paris? To close there were about 6 other people in the theater when there should have been 600. When we exited we were stopped by 2 students that asked how we liked the movie. On their clipboard they entered 2 -4 star votes from us.

If you get a chance and this is a hard one to find in theaters, go. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

The Hollywood Reporter loves BOTTLE SHOCK!!

[uncfreight-1 · 10/10 · 29 January 2008]

Bottle Shock Bottom Line: "Rocky" for wine aficionados. By Stephen Farber Jan 29, 2008

Sundance Film Festival

PARK CITY -- When a film opens with the title, "Based on a true story," one wonders if the filmmakers are trying to bolster a flimsy premise with claims of authenticity.

But "Bottle Shock," which had its world premiere at Sundance, enshrines an irresistible story that happens to be (mainly) true. It takes place in 1976, the year of the American Bicentennial, and in these cynical times, it is nice to be reminded of an American victory that is actually worth celebrating. This might not have been a momentous world achievement, but it was a gratifying victory all the same.

The contest takes place in the world of wine, in a time when California wines competed for the first time in a prestigious competition in France. One of the competitors was Château Montelena, a vineyard owned by Jim Barrett, who dropped out of the corporate rat race to pursue his dream of cultivating grapes. Jim is just one of the engaging characters in this tale of American hayseeds taking on French connoisseurs. Because of the wine backdrop, some will compare the film to "Sideways," but the comparisons are not really fair. This is a different kind of movie, a classic underdog tale with lots of humor and heart. With the right handling, it could be a hit on the specialty circuit.

The film begins by introducing an intriguing ensemble. In the Napa Valley, Jim (Bill Pullman) is locked in constant battle with his slacker son, Bo (Chris Pine), who works for him at the vineyard. Another worker, Gustavo (Freddy Rodriguez), the son of a Mexican field hand, hopes to launch his own label. Both of the men are infatuated with Sam (Rachael Taylor), a new arrival in town. Meanwhile, in Paris, Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) hopes to revive his failing wine business by sponsoring a competition, and a friend encourages him to visit California to add a new gimmick to the contest.

The film is very leisurely in establishing all these characters -- a mite too leisurely. The first half would benefit from tighter editing. Another problem is that the characters -- the tyrannical father and the rebellious son, the snooty European wine connoisseur -- are a bit stock, and the personal stories are not as well developed as they might be. But the film keeps building in intensity, and the payoff sizzles.

As he showed in "Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School," director Randall Miller has real affection for actors, and he brings out the best in performers who haven't always had an opportunity to shine. (Miller wrote and produced both films with his wife, Jody Savin.) Pullman has his best role in years, and he captures the fury as well as the passion of a man in thrall to a dream on the verge of collapse. Pine has enormous charm, and Rodriguez confirms the promise he showed on HBO's "Six Feet Under." Rickman also has one of his juiciest roles in recent years, and he's able to satirize British haughtiness without falling into caricature. Watch his reactions as he samples California cuisine -- first a vat of Kentucky Fried Chicken and then a glob of guacamole -- and you'll savor the mastery of a truly subtle actor. Two beautiful young actresses -- Taylor and Eliza Dushku as a ballsy bartender -- give equally winning performances.

Once the film gets past the exposition, it brings off a number of delectable scenes. A high point comes when Rickman and Pine inveigle a bunch of airline passengers to transport California wine in their carry-on bags. And the climactic competition, where the scrappy American interloper has to stand up against generations of French tradition, is as rousing as any finale you'll see this year. Cinematographer Michael J. Ozier magnificently captures the Napa countryside. This intelligent, affectionate, beautifully acted movie gives crowd-pleasers a good name.

Fun Little Flick

[charlespasternak · 6/10 · 7 September 2008]

Bottle Shock was a fun little ride. Certainly not without faults, but the predictable payoff was fun and the film wrapped up in a nice way. It's not quite the laugh-out-loud comedy the previews have tried to build it up to be, but this little film has heart, and though alone that can't carry it to greatness, it does make for an enjoyable evening at the movies.

The performances are mostly quite good. Chris Pine as Bo Barrett does a wonderful job as our unambitious young hero. The part has been written stereotypically for a NorCal 70's stoner, but Pine manages to find the subtle and human aspects within that stereotype. He's exciting to watch throughout. As impressive as Pine is, Freddy Rodriguez as his quietly more ambitious buddy, Gustavo Brambila, overshadows him a bit. Rodriguez's passion, his quick changes of pace and tone, and his unexpected energy make Brambila the best part of the film. He plays beautifully, moment-to-moment, and though you're never sure where he'll take you, you're always ready to go. Rachael Taylor as Sam rounds out our three young leads. Taylor does a very nice job. She's sexy and fun, not overly impressive, but she keeps up with the boys and seems to have a good time doing it. Jim Pullman as Jim Barrett is a bit disappointing. He doesn't do a poor job, per say, but he doesn't do anymore than is required of him. Jim Barrett is a pigheaded and tight-wound man, with a passion for growing wine. Pullman's performance gives us this, but nothing else. You don't see any other aspects of the man. It was very two-dimensional and left me wanting. Alan Rickman does a wonderful job as Steven Spurrier, an arrogant and uptight wine snob. All the little quirks of Spurrier come out in Rickman's performance. He's a poser, a bit of a loser, and has a sadness beneath the surface that makes him very human, and engaging to watch. Also worth noting is the fabulous performance of Bradley Whitford as Professor Saunders. It's a small supporting role, one scene, but a key scene in the script, and Whitford plays it off beautifully. Possibly the best scene in the film, and he strolls on and steals it. Disappointing supporting performances come from both Denise Farina as Maurice and Eliza Dushku as Joe. Both actors play the same thing they always seem to play, and in neither case does it entirely seem to fit the role. He's abrasive, she's a tough girl, and they're both repeating performances we've seen them give before.

This film's main faults lie in the structuring of it's second act. The most blame for this lies in the Film Editing by Randall Miller and Dan O'Brien which is erratic and jerky, the Original Music by Mark Adler which opens the film beautifully but begins leading the action in strange ways later on (popping in at awkward and noticeable moments, straining drama into melodrama), and the Writing by Jody Savin, Randall Miller and Ross Schwartz (story by all three plus Lannette Pabon) which seems to lose track of whose story to follow and how to follow it.

In the end, as always, most of the blame and praise falls on the Director, and though Randall Miller's work here is certainly uneven, the performances he manages to illicit bring a joy to the screen that is hard not to feel. I left the theatre pleased, musing at the films problems rather than berating them. As I have said, it's a film full of heart, and that makes up for a lot.

Not a good vintage

[michael714 · 4/10 · 21 September 2008]

Sorry folks, but I had some real problems with the movie. I thought the cinematography and audio were great. However, I was not happy with the writing and directing. I didn't find Bill Pullman's character very believable. They just tried too hard to make him look like a character and in the end, I only had disbelief (not suspended). The character of Bo Barrett was meant to be a sympathetic character, but didn't come across as one to me. The love triangle in the movie just seemed old fashioned. Why must the white guy always end up with the white girl? There was good reason to fall in love with Gustavo, he made good wine and he exhibited heart. But I saw little reason for her to fall in love with Bo. At one point she tells him (and us) that Bo has heart, but I didn't see much of it. Near the end, it looks like he's trying harder, but it just seemed so contrived. Bo came across as an empty-headed, blonde for the first half of the movie and it was hard to believe that he developed passion in the end.

In the end, I was also not happy about how the actual competition was portrayed. Why would any substantial French wine experts attend the first year of a competition setup by an ex-patriot Brit wine seller with no customers? If there was a good reason, it was never presented. It just didn't seem credible.

This is a movie that should be remade. I like the story and I'd like to see it done right.

Wonderful Film . . .

[lreffold · 9/10 · 31 January 2008]

While some people might immediately try to compare this film to Sideways, that would be a big mistake. Both films might share wine as their subject matter but diverge dramatically from there.

Bottle Shock tells an unknown story of Californian wine beating French wine in a surprise blind taste test (no one was more surprised than the French).

Having the US as the Underdog, seeing the passion of the wine makers and seeing the French being served makes this an absolutely wonderful 2 hours.

Bill Pullman was superb, Alan Rickman portrayed the quintessential snobbish Britt, Rachael Taylor was stunning and Dennis Farina was "Bacon Fat with a hint of Ripe Mellon!"

Spit

[ferguson-6 · 6/10 · 10 August 2008]

Greetings again from the darkness. This is one of those movies that made me feel a bit guilty for not liking it more than I did. It seemed to set up as the type of story I would like, but something is missing. It is just too simple ... almost dumbed down for the audience.

Part of it could be contributed to the cast of solid, if unspectacular, character actors. Alan Rickman and Bill Pullman are both fine, but Chris Pine and Rachael Taylor certainly didn't come through in their important roles. And Freddy Rodriguez and Miguel Sandoval are given almost nothing to do except strut on a motorcycle and listen to Maria Callas, respectively. This little side story had the most potential but instead we get about 3 or 4 boxing matches between father Pullman and wayward son Pine. Enough ... we get it.

Based on a true and pretty amazing story, the film could have had much more depth and not gone for the easy laugh so often. Is there anything funny about the pretty girl flashing her breasts while hitch-hiking or putting the long-haired rebel in the middle of a stuffy country club? Yes ... quite a few things are funnier than these stale bits. And then on top of everything, Dennis Farina's caricature of an American mooching off the snob, gets old really quickly ... and then, for some unknown reason, is taken totally over the top.

Still, despite its numerous faults, there is enough of the real story here to hold our interest and I bet you will find yourself wanting a glass of wine!

A great story not a great screenplay

[Eaglegrafix · 5/10 · 21 February 2009]

I admire the producer for making and bringing this story to the public. Few who enjoy wine these days know why there is such a selection of good wine at their store. However, I was disappointed. It is such a good story that could have been so much more of a movie. It lacked the passion needed. This is probably the most important event in the history of the international wine industry and in making wine a part of regular life in the United States. Only at the end is the scope of the competition's event given any recognition by Spurrier (Rickman). A documentary would have done a better job of telling this story and keeping the fact intact.

The crowds at Sundance loved the movie!!

[Skiads · 27 January 2008]

I was at Sundance for the screening of Bottle Shock and can tell you first hand, that all the screenings were sold out and the crowds loved the movie. Even the buzz on the shuttle buses between venues was only positive. I loved it. With an incredibly strong cast, the beauty of the California wine country showcased in the camera work and a great collection of 70's music to compliment the musical score, Bottle Shock is a pleasure to watch. The movie is based on the true story of how a Napa winery's 1973 Chardonnay won a French tasting contest that sent the wine world into a frenzy. The story is about the Barrett Family of Montelena and their Chardonnay. Jim Barret a father at odds with his son Bo, is played by Bill Pullman. Steven Spurrier is played by Alan Rickman whose performance is fantastic, as can always be expected. Rickman's Britishness, and the Californina wine makers not being able to tell the difference between British and French, is hilarious. There's a love triangle involving Bo Barrett,(Chris Pine), an intern (Rachael Taylor) and a winery employee (Freddy Rodriguez) with Eliza Dushku as the local tavern owner/friend. All of this pulls together beautifully for the sake of the wine. For me, the scenes of the confused French tasters trying to tell the difference between the French and California wines was unforgettable and in the words of a reviewer, this movie even has "a charming aftertaste."

Light comedy not for wine purists

[vinophilia-1 · 7/10 · 21 August 2008]

Bill Pullman and Alan Rickman carry this film along despite mediocre writing and directing, and in the end deliver light summer fun without much substance. However, if you are looking for authenticity when it comes to wine or the wine industry, look elsewhere. The movie gets most of its wine details wrong, over glamorizing the industry and underestimating its audience in the process. I still can't figure out why a production crew couldn't hire someone who knows something about wine before making a movie about the wine industry. The funny thing is, the parts of the industry that were misrepresented could have been accurately depicted without any loss of romanticism or visual effect; I suspect the crew just didn't take the time to get them right. Sideways got more right than any movie before it, and even that movie had its wine related mistakes. My rant aside, go see this movie. It is fun, light comedic fluff, and leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy with a hankering for a bottle of California wine.

Great story; a little too "Hollywood"

[ArizWldcat · 6/10 · 24 January 2008]

We saw this at Sundance, and we sort of enjoyed the story of the underdog Napa Valley winery in the 70s competing against the "world dominating" French wineries, but it almost felt too silly to be real. The film is based on a true story, but is a bit too "Hollywood." It has a great cast; Alan Rickman stood out as the snobby British wine "educator" who started a competition between the California and French wineries, reluctantly. He is always a joy to watch, but the story loses steam when it focuses on its young "hippie type" characters who are the children of the people who run the California vineyard. I never quite felt sympathy for the Chris Pine character. As an aside, I think the "romance" story would have been more interesting if it had continued down the path it started on instead of switching to the more conventional one it ended upon. I really wanted to like this, and I didn't hate it, but I must just say it was so-so...sorry, it's no "Sideways."

An Inspiring, Delicious, Heart Warming Movie of Wine and Dreams

[jlhurtado · 9/10 · 10 August 2008]

In 1976 the world of wine had mainly just one country on the map: France.

Quietly Californians had been making pretty good wine that no one, especially the French noticed. Until a British gentleman and oenophile, Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) made a competition that changed the world of wine forever.

Entertaining, inspiring, shot on location in the Napa Valley and France, this is a delightful movie, with solid acting, beautiful cinematography and all around sparkling goodness.

Although the script has one flaw, it is for the most part very solid and the acting and directing are top notch. Bill Pullman (wine maker), Alan Rickman, and Dennis Farina (delightful American in Paris) deliver solid performances. Relatively new actors Chris Pine (son of wine maker), Rachael Taylor (love interest) and especially Freddy Rodriguez (Mexican wine maker) round up this outstanding cast.

Randall Miller, the director. has to be commended not only for creating an endearing and lovingly original movie, but doing so in a small budget, and even more taking his creation himself to several cities, after no distributor stepped out, even though the movie had rave reviews in Sundance 2008.

The movie has opened in several theaters in North America, Toronto has been fortunate enough to get it, and I hope a major studio changes it's mind and takes this one world wide, but not to worry the director is finding eager movie theaters anyway.

Enjoyable from beginning to end, a true story that deserved a movie, got one! Go watch it.

Joseph Hurtado from Toronto

It's OK... but what about the wine!

[ajs-10 · 6/10 · 20 September 2010]

There have been one or two films about wine over the years, but very few about American wine. This independent film, I guess, looks to cash in on the critical success of the very enjoyable Sideways (2004). It is based on true events, but unfortunately it doesn't quite hit the mark, for me at least. But more of that later.

This film tells the story of how, in 1976, Californian wines from the Napa valley became internationally acceptable. It all came about because a rather stuck-up wine expert, based in Paris, called Steven Spurrier decided to broaden his horizons and arrange a blind tasting of French and American wines. We then learn about the lives of those making the wine. In particular vineyard owner Jim Barrett and his son Bo, and some of the people they employ, Gustavo Brambila and Sam Fulton. Mr Spurrier goes to the Napa Valley and tastes all of the wines on offer. He makes a list of the best of them and samples are shipped to France for the tasting. And this is where history is made.

You would think, from my very short synopsis that the plot would concentrate on the Steven Spurrier character, but no. The vast majority of the film is taken up with the relationships between Jim, Bo, Sam and Gustavo. Although, yes, that part of the story was interesting up to a point, the important events were kind of just thrown in here and there. This made for quite a disjointed film that I found a little difficult to watch. Having said that the cinematography was spot on, some great use of the scenery and the light. Nobody particularly stood out, for me as far as performances go, though Alan Rickman was pretty good as Steven Spurrier. Honourable mentions go to Bill Pullman as Jim Barrett, Chris Pine as Bo Barrett, Rachael Taylor as Sam Fulton and Freddy Rodríguez as Gustavo Brambila.

Over all I didn't warm to the characters in this film as much as I though I would and that made it kind of disappointing for me. The cinematography was good but the plot needed to be refined a lot more. It's not a great film, but not a bad one either. I won't be watching it again in a hurry, but if you're not averse to downing a bottle or two and you love the Napa Valley then I guess it's recommended. Otherwise, maybe give it a miss.

My score: 6.1/10

Pullman, Rickman, and Rodriguez are stellar. A nice break from all the summer action.

[The_Amazing_Spy_Rises · 8/10 · 27 August 2008]

The ensemble dramedy is always a potentially great film, and what it ultimately comes down to is the writing, and whether or not the film is heartfelt enough for its audience to be moved. While Bottle Shock won't be winning any Oscars, it certainly accomplishes the aforementioned goals. In short, the film is very honest, heartfelt, informative, and enjoyable. It will draw its comparisons to 'Sideways' because of the subject matter and some of the characters (Bill Pullman in BS and Paul Giamatti in SW have similar characters), but what sets Bottle Shock apart is that it looks at the wine itself as a character. You care just as much about the wine as you do about the characters.

Bottle Shock may be categorized as a comedy in some listings, but I felt that this isn't right. It's more of a drama than comedy, but it does have its light hearted and funny moments, most of which center around Rickman's British man getting involved in 1970's California culture. The film does a great job of setting up an atmosphere in which we can get lost in, not to mention shows a part of the USA rarely seen. The cinematography and physical landscape of the film is beautiful. It also is smoothly edited.

The acting is always a topic of conversation in this kind of movie, and I found the film to have a lot of subtle and powerful performances, especially from Bill Pullman and Alan Rickman. Pullman's character is quite the specimen. A man who's quit his job as a lawyer (and partner of a firm) to grow grapes, essentially, and is having a hard time watching it fail. I felt that Pullman nailed the nuances and little emotions he needed to. He also had a good dynamic with Chris Pine. The restrained anger was especially well done by the veteran. Alan Rickman gives yet another interesting and intriguing performance in a part that was probably written for him. In the hands of any other actor, the character is bland at best, but Rickman gives Steven Spurrier a certain depth that makes him likable despite his snobbish attitude.

Surprising me with yet another great show after his wonderful performance in 'Bobby', Freddy Rodriguez gets a lot to chew on here. This guy has got to be one of the most underrated and rare talents in the business. I appreciated his Oscar worthy turn in 'Bobby', and he probably gives the most difficult and well done performance after Pullman. Chris Pine is acceptable, but is nothing special. Rachael Taylor has a certain likable charm about her (she has gorgeous hair and eyes), though the fact that her strong British accent slipped into her obviously fake American one a few times bothered me. Dennis Farina and Eliza Dushku are nice additions in smaller parts.

Bottle Shock certainly isn't for everyone. You won't find super huge action sequences or psychotic bad guys here, but you'll find a remarkable character study with a compelling enough story to keep a viewer interested. It is a movie that doesn't require a ton of thought, but some attention is needed. I will give our director and writer some props for keeping the movie going smoothly. It never dragged or was boring. If this one is playing at your local cinema, I advise you to give it a chance.

Very Californian, well-crafted but standard story

[jimcheva · 7/10 · 21 May 2022]

As it happens, when I lived in Paris, I knew several people who worked at the Caves de la Madeleine, even saw Steven Spurrier once or twice - a far more refined and poised Brit than as portrayed here. The fact that he even gets to be portrayed by Alan Rickman is piquant in itself. So I was happy to discover this film. However it turns out it's mainly about the struggles and intrigues at a California winery, crafted into an engaging if not particularly original story. Certainly , the line-up is impressive - Rickman, Bill Pullamn, Chris Pine, Dennis Farina, Bradley Whitford, Freddy Rodriguez, etc. And we get some nice glimpses of the California wine business. Disappointingly light on the main event, skipping over facts like that some of the French tasters were so upset they wanted a redo. But charming enough in its way. Poignant to see Eliza Dushku, who, after a flourishing career, won a major sexual harassment settlement, but, from what I can see, has not worked since (2017). Make of that what you will.

The Bottle was Empty

[jthelin · 2/10 · 5 December 2008]

This is not a good movie…for many reasons: poor script, bad conception, spotty acting, incompetent technical delivery, etc. etc. We only saw this turkey because there was a mix-up (oops! on IMDb) in the theatre schedule which meant we would have to wait an additional half hour for our desired film (to remain nameless). We should have waited. There is so much wrong with this film, it is hard to know where to start. Let me turn this around then and begin with what I liked: Alan Rickman's performance, especially in his strange little talks with Dennis Farina in the former's wine shop. That's all.

A few specifics in the bad film department: Most of the other acting was ho-hum or worse, including Chris Pine (too much time on screen) and his so-called romantic interest played by Rachael Taylor. To be fair to the latter, her character was a walking cliché who, instead of developing a relationship with the Freddie Rodriguez role, which might have been interesting, falls inevitably into the arms of Mr. Pine. Did I mention racism as another problem? So Rodriguez is wasted, as well as Ms. Dushku, who seems to exist primarily as an obvious and lame plot mechanism.

Writing this is making me angry all over again, so for our collective health, I will end this by lighting into the cinematography, which was lazy and badly staged (my viewing mate spent the film counting technical mistakes because it was so poorly made), giving us little sense of the actual locations where the main action was taking place. The characters could have been anywhere – and wound up nowhere, just like the viewing audience who hated it as much as I did.

Bottle Shock: The Sideways of 2008

[DavidOLeary · 9/10 · 18 July 2008]

I recently got a chance to see Bottle Shock and I have to say I thought it was great. It's really charming and interesting in a very different way from Sideways, although because of all the beautiful Napa Valley photography, it still reminded me of it. It also has great characters and hilarious moments the way that film does. I highly recommend this film.

Based on a true story, it chronicles how California wine makers became serious contenders in the world competition of wine-- an honor previously assumed to be rewarded always to the French. It centers around a town of quirky up and coming wine makers, each with their own challenges to face. It's got a great cast, including Bill Pullman, Chris Pine, Freddie Rodriguez, Rachel Taylor, Eliza Dushku and the hilarious Alan Rickman. Rickman plays an English wine seller in France who's desperate to find the best wines to sell in his store. He travels to California to see if the rumors are true about California's wines. His performance alone is worth seeing this.

It's a charming, heartwarming movie that I think will do very well when it opens 8/8. Check it out, you wont be disappointed.

9/10

Salud . . . er . . . cin-cin . . . er . . . à la vôtre?

[Chris Knipp · 7/10 · 17 August 2008]

In dim far off times, more specifically 32 years ago, when young California men like Bo Bennett (Chris Pine) wore tight jeans with flared bottoms and had long unruly hair, before there were Liberty Fries or 9/11, there were wine snobs. And they tended to think that French wine was light years above all other wine.

Then, in 1976, something happened to vindicate California wine makers dramatically. A blind tasting competition was held just outside Paris, judged by a group representing some of the most prestigious French restaurants, wine organizations, and wine publications--and California wines won, in both categories, white and red.

Now, in 2008, there are wine snobs. And they tend to think that French wine is light years above all other wine. But California wine makers have a confidence in the quality of their production that they didn't have before that historic blind tasting.

But my mild irony here isn't really quite the spirit of 'Bottle Shock,' which seeks to present a wholly upbeat feel-good story. Beware, this is a movie that operates principally in the land of myth, where details are shifted to make a jauntier, tidier story. 'Bottle Shock' isn't by any stretch a great movie.

But wait. After all, I am writing this from Northern California, and I was here in 1976, a moment for which I feel a certain nostalgia. It was a good time. I don't want to trash that moment, which the sun-kissed panoramas of 'Bottle Shock' invoke. I have to look at the positive side of this movie, even as I deplore certain aspects of it.

'Bottle Shock' works best if you look past the misadventures of its overdrawn characters--who have nothing of the depth of 'Sideways'--to the details of 'limousin' oak, tapping casks, wine color, the vintner's art--and the most educated palates of France finding that when they couldn't see the label, they found wine from the Napa Valley second to none. To trample on the movie's celebration of that triumph would be unkind, especially if you're writing an hour's drive from where most of the action happens.

The story focuses on an English wine merchant named Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) who sets up the tasting, and the Bennett family, Bo and his father Jim (Bill Pullman), whose Château Montelena vineyard won the white wine part of the tasting with their 1973 chardonnay. (Stag's Leap's '73 Cab won for the reds, but there's nothing about it--or about Montelena's wine-maker, Mike Grgich, who opted to be left out of the screenplay, it's reported.) There's also Bennett's most knowledgeable employee, a young man of Mexican descent born and bred in the wine-fields, Gustavo Brambila (Freddy Rodriguez, last seen in 'Grindhouse'). His palate is so keen he can unfailingly spot not only the variety and label, be it Californian or French, but the vintage of any glass he's given to taste. Gustavo works for Jim Bennett, but he and the Callas-loving Mr. Garcia (Miguel Sandoval) have secretly been producing a limited bottling of their own, which is so good it makes Gustavo cry and instantly persuades Montelena's lovely girl intern Sam (Rachael Taylor) to jump into bed him in a cabin perched on a promontory with vineyards all around it. There's no explanation why Sam switches her affections to Bo later--except that it suits the plot. Poor Gustavo is a pawn in a stereotyping game as the token Latino.

Alan Rickman is a villain, but this time he's the good guy, the catalyst albeit a sourpuss who initially expects nothing of American wine but then is won over. "Why don't I like you?" Bennett senior says to Spurrier. "Because you think I'm an assh--e," says Suprrier/Rickman. "I'm not really. I'm just British and....not like you." It seems far-fetched that Spurrier is a wine-seller in Paris, especially given Rickman's shaky French, frequently on display in the French scenes (all shot, incidentally, in Napa and Sonoma). Also far-fetched is that next door to his Paris business is a loudly dressed American called Maurice (Dennis Farina) who's in the hired car business. The Brits were prominent in wine tasting in those days (before Robert Parker of Monkton, Maryland came to dominate the field) but a vintner, in Paris?

If I were the real Bo Bennett I doubt I'd want to be represented as he is in the movie and in fact the real Bo at the Château Montelena premier got a good laugh, a 'Wine Spectator' article says, by declaring "I never really did any of that sh-t." Pine is winning nonetheless, Taylor is pretty and fresh, and Pullman, doing his best with a woefully over-dramatized part, is flinty and tough. Freddie Rodriguez's character makes clichéd speeches like, "You have to have it in your blood. You have to grow up with the soil underneath your nails and the smell of the grape in the air that you breathe." This movie is trying to appeal to a wider audience--American, I guess. Would French people want to watch this? Not too likely. The "Paris Tasting" or "Judgment of Paris," as American wine writers call it, can't mean much to the French (nothing good!). Sometimes the way a bottle of wine is handled in the movie by alleged wine experts is clumsy and callous.

The title event--in which Bennett almost destroys 500 cases because his chardonnay turns brown in bottle ("bottle shock")--but then returns to gold and miraculously is saved for the "Judgment"--may be invented; it seems like a screenwriter's way of jazzing things up that might have gone flat at the crucial moment.

An irony is that Château Montelena has just been purchased by Cos d'Estornel, one of the most prominent Bordeaux vineyards. So who wins in the end? And while California wine has grown in sophistication, complexity, and reputation since, French wine prices have gone through the roof.

Another film on this subject based on a book by George M. Taber is in the planning stages.

Slow as death and looks like a MOW - terrible script!! wait for DVD

[filmtravel101 · 1/10 · 12 September 2008]

This movie unfortunately has not one iota to compare with Sideways in case anyone is telling you such bull...

the script is slow, trite and only has one part that is fairly interesting which is the fact about the blind tasting in Paris, and the directing is so amateurish TV style that it screams Movie of the week!

The father/son relationship doesn't work, the over done helicopter shots make you dizzy like its a glossy infomercial for Gallo wine, and the sunlight thru the pepsi ad commercial barn house feels like directing of a Michael Bay-wanna be, and how on earth did they pick these horrible young actors that are way 'too pretty to be anything but a TV soap star or model' Even the bartender has glossy lipstick that makes her look like a Coyote Ugly girl rather than some 70s hippie bar chick. And how many times can they cut to the father/son boxing each other..

But it all comes down to a boring script that just drags along instead of someone editing half the movie out..and moving forward past the Paris contest.. which is sad because this story could have been so much more but as they always say.. it's the script, script, script... and this one sticks with no connection to the characters it is so flat.

I almost walked out if it had it not been for the brief moments of the Paris moments with Rickman/Farina.. yet the California ones were unbearable.. and im a wine lover that thought perhaps they would create some decent moments but nothing... And poor Bill Pullman did the best he could but these young actors should go back to soap operas and stay away from film and the director stick to TV directing or commercials.

I gave it a 1 because i had to buy my friend a glass of wine to revive him after falling asleep halfway thru the movie after yet another car breaks down to create some suspense.. yawwwwwnnnnnn!!!!

Oh and how about the girl watering down the tackle... yeah.. real nice sexist wanna be playboy soft porn... truly embarrassing!