Directed by: Randall Miller
Review by: Laura Hawbaker
Fans of “Sideways” are sure to fall for this true Napa Valley tale. Chateau Montelena put itself in the annals of American viniculture (and the racks of the Smithsonian) with its 1973 vintage Chardonnay, which bested the best of the French in a blind tasting.
Montelena’s owner is lawyer-turned-vintner Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman), a man struggling to keep his winery afloat by creating the perfect Chardonnay. Meanwhile, his wayward son Bo (Chris Pine), a GQ model in a bad blonde wig, is a free-loving bohemian who enjoys bedding local girls, street scuffles with local hicks, and hustling local winos. The Barrett’s lives are turned on end with the arrival of Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman), a Parisian wine shop owner who, in a bid for publicity, arrives in Napa to see if the rising Californian wine scene stacks up to the top-tiered French elite.
The story is that of the triumphant long shot, and Randall Miller, who directed and co-wrote the screenplay, milks it for all its worth. He peppers his Napa Valley with underdogs: wine sellers operating from side-of-the-road trailers, gap-toothed truckers, feisty barmaids. Meanwhile the French, when they do finally grace the screen with their presence, are a supercilious crop of elitists you can’t wait to see knocked down off their high horses.
Despite its gripping source material, “Bottle Shock” is not without faults. Far too many fictional subplots dilute the impact of the main wine tasting. Though some are compelling (such as Freddy Rodriguez’s turn as a field worker with aspirations for his own winery, or an underused Eliza Dushku as the plucky proprietor of a local wine bar), the majority are distractions. The worst offender is a superfluous love triangle involving Bo and Montelena’s cute intern, Sam (Rachael Taylor), a blonde starlet-type who would look more in place strutting down Rodeo Drive, not sweating it out in sun-drenched grape fields. As the only female presence in the film, Sam’s main purpose seems to be hosing down wine vats in a soaked t-shirt, flashing cars while hitchhiking, and never wearing a bra.
After meandering through these unnecessary subplots, Miller does eventually bring “Bottle Shock” back from the edge of ridiculousness. He refocuses on what should have been the focus from the beginning–the wine tasting–and succeeds in delivering a peppy, crowd-pleasing film.
Rumor has it a second film based off these true events, titled “The Judgment of Paris,” is currently in production, and though “Bottle Shock” beat it out of the starting gate, might be the more authentic of the pair. “The Judgment of Paris” won the endorsement of the real Steven Spurrier, who has threatened legal action against “Bottle Shock” for misrepresentation. It will be interesting to see if the second film will include Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, the Californian winery that bested the French in the red-wine division with it’s Cabernet Sauvignon. “The Judgment of Paris” might also see fit to include Chateau Montelena’s Mike Grgich, the celebrated winemaker who created the wine that won the whites. Grgich is notably absent from “Bottle Shock,” which credits owner Jim Barrett as the creative man behind the winning Chardonnay.
