Originally published Wednesday, August 6, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Movie review
"Bottle Shock": No matter how far you tip it, there's no wit in sight
"Bottle Shock" is a sluggish, fact-based comedy/drama about a British wine-shop owner (Alan Rickman) who becomes instrumental in a 1976 contest between European and Napa Valley wines.
Special to The Seattle Times
"Bottle Shock," with Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman, Chris Pine, Freddy Rodriguez, Rachael Taylor. Directed by Randall Miller, from a screenplay by Miller, Jody Savin and Ross Schwartz. 110 minutes. Rated PG-13 for brief strong language. Several theaters.
Just because a movie is energetic doesn't mean it can't feel sluggish. Case in point: "Bottle Shock," an exposition-heavy comedy/drama that seems to spin itself into exhaustion. It's loosely based on a 1976 European wine-tasting contest that ended with Napa Valley wines the unexpected winner.
Since the conclusion is foregone, the filmmakers rely on a strong cast to maintain interest and carry the narrative for a couple of hours. It isn't enough. Nor are the tedious inventions of the screenplay, which comes across less as an expansion of a true story and more as a self-congratulatory fairy tale.
Alan Rickman has some snooty fun with the role of a British wine-shop owner, based in Paris, who sets the plot in motion when he visits California (watch him daintily try to maneuver his way through a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken). But it ends up an easy caricature, undeserving of the Golden Space Needle award he won for this performance a couple of months ago at the Seattle International Film Festival.
While Freddy Rodriguez also shines in a scene in which his character demonstrates a knack for identifying wines by taste, it's hard to make something compelling out of a listless triangle involving Rodriguez, Rachael Taylor and Chris Pine (who will be the young Capt. Kirk in next year's "Star Trek" movie).
Although the actors invite the audience to care, it makes absolutely no difference who winds up sleeping with whom. If you're interested in watching Pine find his inner Shatner, or Taylor try to locate a character other than "sexy blonde" to play, that may keep you occupied for a while.
The filmmakers too often mistake high spirits for the kind of wit that made something special out of another wine-tasting tale, "Sideways." They appear to be most interested in concentrating on an awfully familiar father-son relationship drama.
Bill Pullman plays Dad, a financially strapped vintner who fears that his long-haired hippie son (Pine) is a loser. "It's 1976," he says. "Woodstock was seven years ago." That's about as insightful as the dialogue ever gets.
The director, Randall Miller (whose 1990s studio movies include "The Sixth Man" and Sinbad's "Houseguest"), has a weakness for sweeping overhead shots that become increasingly distracting. Less fancy camerawork and more vital characters might have helped.
John Hartl: johnhartl@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Carole Lombard's slapstick legacy shines at Seattle Art Museum
Potter star Rupert Grint recovering from swine flu
Train promoting Disney's upcoming "A Christmas Carol" makes a Seattle stop
Movie review: "Moon": Inspired lunacy from Sam Rockwell
At a Theater Near You: Live in Fremont: The undead gather to break a record, watch a film

Tribal Fireworks Rivalry
The Fourth of July marks a long-standing fireworks rivalry between two clans of a Native-American family in Suquamish.
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Tax tips for new independent professionals
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sports car/coupe? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
nwhomes

Find a new home or condo that fits your lifestyle.
Search New Developments
Builder Directory
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Palin takes to Web for hints of political future
- Fourth of July festivals and fireworks in Seattle, the suburbs and beyond
- The Blotter | Man pistol-whipped after argument at nightclub
- Former NFL MVP McNair killed
- Russell Branyan, Mariners fight off the Red Sox
- Desert-lobster dispute turns pair into sagebrush heroes
- Close-up | Prison guards intercept carrier pigeon with a cellphone
- Woman accuses Sounders FC player Nate Jaqua of sexual assault, seeks more than $10 million
- Rob Johnson's double in 11th powers Mariners past Red Sox, 7-6
- Palin resigning as Alaska governor
756 - Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox: 07/04 game thread
244 - Reports: NKorean missile arrives at launch site
100 - Woman accuses Sounders FC player Nate Jaqua of sexual assault, seeks more than $10 million
99 - Palin's Declaration of Independence
73 - Hatred for the NBA runs deep, but don't take it out on the players
60 - Mariners score unlikely win over Red Sox in battle of bullpens
58 - Former NFL MVP McNair killed
54 - Man pistol-whipped after argument at nightclub
41 - Plasma and LED beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
28
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Merchant Marine veterans fight for recognition
- Close-up | Prison guards intercept carrier pigeon with a cellphone
- Concert Review | Green Day blasts off 4th weekend with KeyArena show
- Lake Washington's sockeye run may hit a record low
- Pre-grill drill: marinate steaks
- Yakima teacher reprimanded for sending 5-year-old student home with bag of feces in backpack
- Art and conversation flow from hands and heart of artist Mandy Greer
- Amtrak cleared for 2nd daily train to Vancouver, B.C.
- Fire danger already here in parched NW forests








