As long as we’re talking about bad films today, let’s talk about a good one that few may have noticed. Bottle Shock never made it out of the art-house circuit in its release last fall, which was a shame. It featured an outstanding cast and big-studio production values in telling the story of how California wines beat the French in a legendary contest in the 1970s. The outcome proved that California wines had reached world-class status and set the stage for the expansion of the wine industry from central Europe over the last three decades.
In my review last September, I wrote:
Bottle Shock overcomes its few flaws to deliver real emotional punch and underscore traditional values: hard work, community, courage, and dedication. Along the way, though, it also delivers plenty of laughs, mostly from Rickman and Dennis Farina, who plays a different kind of character from the usual cops and gangsters. Rickman is particularly good in this film, and he delivers the value of the price of admission all by himself. Chris Pine as Bo also does well as a young man who needs to find himself but has no clue where to start.
Unfortunately, this film may soon disappear from theaters. Try to find it near you, if you can. It’s the kind of film we often lament for its rarity, and too often only discover in the remainder bin at Wal-Mart.
It’s now available on DVD, so if you couldn’t find it in the theaters, you can watch it in your own home. If my review doesn’t convince you to buy it, try adding it to your Netflix queue first for a taste. I think you’ll enjoy this vintage.
Update: Commenter RobCon suggests that this might make a good double feature with Sideways. I agree.
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