Bottle Shock

In the movies about fine wines category, Randall Miller's Bottle Shock falls short of Sideways, but it's moderately amusing nonetheless. Based on a true story, the film spins a yarn around a blind taste competition held in France in 1976, in which the Gallic bottles were bested by a California vintage—to the astonishment of all. Much of the movie's humor derives from the presence of droll Alan Rickman as Steven Spurrier, the Brit instigator of the contest, who owns a wine shop in Paris and uses the venture to boost his business. Spurrier travels to Napa Valley to collect some New World competitors, a trip that takes him to Chateau Montelena, where the bickering father-and-son owners are trying to produce an exceptional Chardonnay. Although there's not much question about where the plot is headed—this is Rocky with corks vs. boxing gloves—it's still an enjoyable watch, largely because Rickman's long-faced shtick is such a delight. Of course, there are a few unbelievable twists along the way, but within the context of a feel-good David-and-Goliath tale these requisite crowd-pleasing scenes go down pretty smoothly. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary (by director/co-writer Randall Miller, co-writer Jody Savin, co-writer Ross Schwartz, co-writer Lannette Pabon, producer J. Todd Harris, and costars Chris Pine, Bill Pullman, and Eliza Dushku), a 13-minute “An Underdog Journey” making-of featurette, the 11-minute featurette “Chateau Montelena: One Winery's Search for Excellence,” four minutes of deleted scenes, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an entertaining film.] (F. Swietek)