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Film Review: Bottle Shock
Tuesday, October 15th, 2013 07:44 pmBottle Shock (2008) was recommended to us by a beer friend, even though it's about Napa winemaking in the 70s. Since I'm from the South Bay, Napa is a big part of my background noise. I knew how to select and order good wine and pair it with my food long before I was 21.
So it has Alan Rickman as the supercilious Brit wine connoisseur who decides to pit California wines against the obviously superior French wines (he lives, eats and breathes in France) in a blind tasting competition. He's hoping to become more fully accepted as a member of the French wine elite with his ploy.
He's got this great line, when Jim Barrett asks "why do I feel like you're an asshole?" he replies, "I'm really not. I'm just British, and you're not." ADDFLLKJFSDALKJ!!
Bill Pullman and Chris Pine are the Barretts, owners/father-son team at Chateau Montelena - the struggling winery is on the edge of bankruptcy. Chris wears this godawful wig through the entire film. In the back of my head I kept hearing Kathleen Turner saying how awful the wardrobe in Peggy Sue Got Married was.
Freddy Rodriguez is Bo Barrett's best bud and Jim Barrett's employee/wine making rival. I loved his portrayal of Gustavo Brambila.
Eliza Dushku plays a pivotal role as a bartender (really), and Bradley Whitford gets one (also pivotal) scene as a professor at UC Davis.
It's hilarious to look at this and think about the technology leap in the past 50 yrs. If only they had cell phones - they wouldn't have to drive all over the countryside to communicate with each other, it wouldn't be nearly as dramatic either!
All in all - it's a pretty good story. Some fun moments, some heartache and angst, and then a happy ending. Plus some fun science facts and snooty Frenchmen getting schooled.
Two thumbs up :)
So it has Alan Rickman as the supercilious Brit wine connoisseur who decides to pit California wines against the obviously superior French wines (he lives, eats and breathes in France) in a blind tasting competition. He's hoping to become more fully accepted as a member of the French wine elite with his ploy.
He's got this great line, when Jim Barrett asks "why do I feel like you're an asshole?" he replies, "I'm really not. I'm just British, and you're not." ADDFLLKJFSDALKJ!!
Bill Pullman and Chris Pine are the Barretts, owners/father-son team at Chateau Montelena - the struggling winery is on the edge of bankruptcy. Chris wears this godawful wig through the entire film. In the back of my head I kept hearing Kathleen Turner saying how awful the wardrobe in Peggy Sue Got Married was.
Freddy Rodriguez is Bo Barrett's best bud and Jim Barrett's employee/wine making rival. I loved his portrayal of Gustavo Brambila.
Eliza Dushku plays a pivotal role as a bartender (really), and Bradley Whitford gets one (also pivotal) scene as a professor at UC Davis.
It's hilarious to look at this and think about the technology leap in the past 50 yrs. If only they had cell phones - they wouldn't have to drive all over the countryside to communicate with each other, it wouldn't be nearly as dramatic either!
All in all - it's a pretty good story. Some fun moments, some heartache and angst, and then a happy ending. Plus some fun science facts and snooty Frenchmen getting schooled.
Two thumbs up :)
