By TAYLOR VAN ARSDALE
Writer/director Randall Miller’s “Bottle Shock” opens with sweeping vistas and panoramic views gently gliding over golden sunlit dappled vineyards cultivated with ripe purple grapes that appear to be bursting with flavor.
Ah it’s, Napa Valley, Calif., and the time is 1976; when a groundbreaking competition occurred that forever changed the world’s perception of California wines. This is the story of that event, its real-life heroes of viniculture and a defining moment in history — or as I like to say, “when California kicked some French butt.”
Bill Pullman and Chris Pine play father and son vintners, Jim and Bo Barrett. Jim’s a hard working, do-things-by-the-book kind of guy who has invested everything in his winery Chateau Montelena. His son Bo is a free-spirited, pot-smoking rebel who gives little thought to his future save for the next Grateful Dead concert. Despite their differences the two share a dream of producing a great chardonnay.
Meanwhile, across the pond, British wine connoisseur Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) owns a flailing Paris wine shop and is having trouble getting into A-list soirees. Don’t miss a hilarious scene in which Rickman, edges his way into a prestigious wine tasting only to be summarily shuttled to a corner table where he gets jostled repeatedly as kitchen staff make their way through a nearby door. To garner interest and respect from French oenologists, Spurrier concocts a publicity stunt — to bring California wines to the French community in a blind taste test. Rickman said, “The real Spurrier, now a hugely respected wine educator in Europe, thought for sure the French wines would win.” But this event which yielded unexpected results, said, Jody Savin, the film’s producer/co-writer,“also, in personal and narrative way, changed the lives of Jim and Bo Barrett.”
Based on true events, the story’s denouement is evident from the get go, but knowing this doesn’t take away from the film’s captivating and inspiring spirit about the real life champions of the California wine trade. There’s a little bit of something in it for everyone — romance, triumph over adversity and a heck of a lot of heart.
Rickman steals the show — he is the epitome of British snobbery, blatantly patronizing the residents of Napa as he searches for bottles of wine worthy of the upcoming event, quoting, “Wine is sunlight held together by water — the poetic wisdom of Italian physicist and stargazer Galileo Gallilei.” One of the film’s great lines, and one Savin (at the request of her husband/director Miller), culled together on the last day of Rickman’s shooting schedule.
Freddy Rodriguez as Gustavo Brambila delivers a phenomenal performance. The entire cast is terrific, but someone to watch closely is Rachael Taylor; she is a real treasure on screen. And you know me, folks, I’m all about the boys, but this down to earth Tasmanian native (who nailed her American accent perfectly by the way) imbues her character Sam with intelligence, charm and just the right amount of joie de vivre. Sam doesn’t immediately go for the “obvious hot guy” because she has the sense to realize that he’s a bit of a ne’er-do-well (oh don’t we all wish we had this presence of mind when it comes to love?). Ironically by withholding her affections she becomes the catalyst for Bo’s eventual catharsis.
As a wine aficionado I sampled the ($125 a bottle) Chateau Montelena cabernet; a supreme delight for the taste buds to be sure, but the film “Bottle Shock”is also a sumptuous treat for the visual palette, every bit as good as the wine from which this story is inspired. See it; you’ll leave the theatre satisfied.
Taylor Van Arsdale is a writer/producer and movie reviewer for the Daily Press. She
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 9, 2008. Read the original PDF.