Bottle Shock

This one was brought to my attention by my boss. He's a total wine guy who talks about wine ALL THE TIME! I know next to nothing about it other than that I prefer white to red, and 2-buck-chuck hits me a lot quicker than I might imagine. I saw Sideways, and while the performances were good, I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I were a wino too. It was almost like I didn't have the full appeciation necessary. I saw Last Chance Harvey this year, and felt like I was about 30 years too young to get anything out of it. That's how I feel about wine movies. It's almost like the fact that I'm not a big drinker hinders me from connecting with the content of the film. I'm too young for Last Chance Harvey, and too sober (or maybe just too uninformed) for movies that center around wine. I know there's more to it than that, but I couldn't see past it in Sideways. Maybe it requires a second viewing.

Bottle Shock is co-written and directed by Randall Miller, who also co-wrote and directed Nobel Son - both starring Alan Rickman (whom I love). I didn't care for Nobel Son much (aside from the performances), so despite the good reviews, my hopes are't too high for Bottle Shock. Oh, and Chris Pine's wig is gnarly! (Possible redeeming factor: Miller directed Nickelodeon's Salute Your Shorts! Now THAT'S OG street cred right there!)

Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) - "Why don't I like you??"
Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) - "Because you think I'm an asshole... and I'm not really - I'm just British, and well... you're not."

I'm not sure why I found those line so amusing, but I did. Ya know, there's some times that I'm thankful that I didn't know much about a particular film.

***SPOILERS BEGIN HERE***
Until the film ended, I had no idea Bottle Shock was based on a true story. I just thought it was based on some book. I find that a lot more intriguing in this case. I expected it to focus on Rickman's character rather that Bill Pullman's and Chris Pine's (as Jim Barrett's son, Bo). While the central plot dealt with wine and the vineyard, it wasn't the sole focus, and managed not to lose a wine novice, such as myself, in the shuffle. I liked seeing the father/son relationship throughout, and the resolution of it in the end. Whenever I think of Bill Pullman I automatically think of him as the prez of the good ol' U.S. of A. in Independence Day, or as "our man Denton", the reporter, in Newsies. I don't think I'd seen him age until this. It was kind of like when I saw Carrie Fisher in Fanboys. She still looked pretty good in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and then aged about 20 years in that timespan. Morrissey is sadly going that same route.

Back to the film at hand, the entire emotional tone of the film was very different from the other Miller film I'd seen. Nobel Son was rather dark and twisted, while Bottle Shock ended up as a feel-good underdog story. The sub-plot with Freddie Rodriguez's character, Bo's friend Gustavo Brambila added to the film, while Rachael Taylor's character, Sam, felt rather unnecessary. I'm not sure how true the quasi-love triangle was to the real-life story, but it seemed thrown in to appeal to a broader audience. I think the film would have still held up just fine without it.

In keeping up with the current "thumbs up vs. thumbs down" final verdict, I'd give Bottle Shock a thumbs up! Now who wants to buy me a bottle of 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay?