Remember how silly it was that “Searching for Bobby Fischer” tried to make chess exciting by ratcheting up the sound effects as the players slammed their pieces down? Well, perhaps “Bottle Shock” could have used something as absurd to make wine tasting seem interesting.
Set primarily in the Napa Valley of the 1970s, “Bottle Shock” tries to involve the viewer in the Miracle on Ice of the wine world, in which upstart California vintages faced off against dominant French varieties in a blind taste test. Guess which ones triumphed?
But this is no “Sideways.” It’s not even a “French Kiss.” The subtleties of the craft, the exquisite whispers of the vine, are splashed in the audience’s face by hyperactive direction and a clunky script. Despite a cast boasting Alan Rickman and Bill Pullman, director and co-writer Randall Miller can’t seem to leave a moment alone long enough for the viewer to appreciate its bouquet.
The characters, purportedly based on real people, are stiffly drawn and often just plain unlikable. Relationship threads start but go nowhere.
The soul of the grape, that thing that elevates a wine to greatness, proves here as elusive on screen as in the bottle.
Cast & Crew:
Genre: Drama
Starring: Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman, Chris Pine, Eliza Dushku, Rachael Taylor,
Director: Randall Miller
Producer: Brenda Lhormer, Diane Jacobs, J. Todd Harris, Jody Savin, Marc Lhormer, Randall Miller
Writer: Jody Savin, Randall Miller
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