Movie review: Bottle Shock

Wine tasting a la jelly jar.

by John P. Meyer

Director Randall Miller's Bottle Shock takes the story of a groundbreaking 1976 Paris wine tasting event (known thereafter as the "Judgement of Paris") and personalizes it, telling the story through the lens of struggling Napa Valley wine crafter Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman). Barrett's gambled everything - including an early retirement and his sense of self-worth - on his aspirations of producing a quality wine that people will actually pay for at profit-producing levels. (It should be remembered that, in this era, most people thought of California wines in terms of screw-cap, drunk-inducing fare of Bowery Bum character.)

Assisting Barrett in his effort to emerge from a flood of red ink (harsh, yet piquant; calamitous on the upper palate) is his long-haired, pot-smoking, ne'er-do-well hippy son, Bo (Chris Pine, soon-to-be captain of a well-known starship). Along with a contingent of hired hands, including wine-in-his-blood Napa native Gustavo Brambila (Freddy Rodriguez), the elder Barrett offers an unpaid internship to a viticulture college student named Sam who - surprisingly - turns out to be a lithe and striking blond of the female persuasion (Rachael Taylor, Miss Teen Tasmania of 1998; last seen as Maggie Madsen in Transformers).

Bo, Gustavo and Sam begin hanging out together in the sleepy burg of Calistoga, where another comely female with a manly name - in this case, Joe (Eliza Dushku, striking languid poses behind the bar) - presides over a friendly local drinking and pool-shooting establishment. Joe's not above helping out her wine-savvy friends by stacking the deck in their favor when it comes to wine identification bar bets.

Cut to Paris, France, where wine retailer Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman, putting on his snobbiest British airs) hosts his solitary regular customer (tough guy Dennis Farina, as a charming, loud-dressing chap named Maurice) at the Madeleine Wine Shop. While we refer to Maurice as a customer, in fact he only drops by to "taste" the wines and offer up pithy commentaries on their nose and essential character. Though he doesn't actually purchase anything, Maurice does come up with a solid idea for abundant free PR which involves sponsorship of a blind wine tasting by a panel of French experts. The slate of vins will include - for the first time - wines from that upstart region of California which seems to be turning out some quite impetuous vintages of late. Per the rules of the tasting, the California wines will go head to head (make that tete-a-tete) with distinguished French wines, adding a distinctive cachet to the event.

But which California wines to include? There's only one logical way proceed, and that's for Spurrier to travel to California's Napa Valley and taste the wines for himself. In a mechanically-deficient rented Gremlin, he begins his tasting tour.

He's not expecting much, but as Spurrier proceeds through the valley he finds himself won over by both the demonstrated acumen of the homespun vintners and the unique quality of their vintages. He samples wines from jelly jars and paper cups which, to his practiced palate, transcend the limitations of their dispensation. Soon, Spurrier has made his selections and is ready to return to Paris for the grand event.

In addition to the tale of the tasting competition that shook the wine world, Bottle Shock sets out to tell the more humble story of a father and son who come to know, love and understand each other through the tribulations of their shared enterprise, and in spite of their divergent (and often clashing) personalities. When we first meet them, Bo and Jim relate to each other primarily from within the confines of the boxing ring which the elder Barrett has erected at the edge of the vineyard. (Nothing like a left upper-cut to shut down a conversation.)

By the end of the film, Jim and Bo have developed a mutual respect that overcomes their ring-bound animosity. In the meantime, Sam develops a demonstrated appreciation for the wine-producing skills (and various other attractions) of Gustavo. Who knew that making one's own wine could lead to a lissome Tasmanian babe going all smoochy on you?

Like Sideways, this movie exhibits a genuine passion for wine and wine culture, though the delight we experience from watching Bottle Shock tends to linger less. Perhaps that's because its outcome is both telegraphed and pre-ordained. Nevertheless, here's a toast to savoring the small victories in life. Such as kicking the Brie-eating surrender-monkey Froggies' asses at their own high-falutin' game.

Pass the cheese tray.