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

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.

"There is hardly a word that is true in the script and many, many pure inventions as far as I am concerned"....Steven Spurrier

Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) is one of the main characters in this film and the real life Spurrier thought the film was almost complete fiction. Likewise, the character Gustavo Brambila did not even work in Napa until AFTER the famed tasting in France. I also am pretty sure the one-bottle FAA limit scene never could have happened, as I carried LOTS of wine/beer in carry-ons before the recent changes due to worries about terrorism. And then there was the law office that just happened to have a spare sword lying about...so, at least from a historical standpoint, "Bottle Shock" is not a good film. And, as a retired history teacher, I was dismayed that so many instances of artistic license occurred with the movie.

"Bottle Shock" was adored by many when it came out and I got around to watching it today. I was NOT as enamored with it and apart from the historical inaccuracies, I thought the characters were pretty much ALL annoying and poorly written (especially Pullman's). I can only assume that many of the folks who adored the film did so out of a sense of nostalgia for the time period and the wines. As for me, I've been on wine tours in many regions in the world (including Napa and Sonoma) but that just wasn't enough to make the film work for me. The only things that really worked were the music and cinematography. Otherwise, I just wasn't enthralled.