Bottle Shock (2008)

The story of the early days of California wine making featuring the now infamous, blind Paris wine tasting of 1976 that has come to be known as "Judgment of Paris".

Director:

Randall Miller

Writers:

Jody Savin (screenplay), Randall Miller (screenplay)

Stars:

Chris Pine, Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chris Pine	...	Bo Barrett
Hal B. Klein	...	Shenky
Alan Rickman	...	Steven Spurrier
Jean-Michel Richaud	...	Maitre d'
Dennis Farina	...	Maurice Cantavale
Bill Pullman	...	Jim Barrett
Kirk Baily	...	Loan Officer
Freddy Rodríguez	...	Gustavo Brambila (as Freddy Rodriguez)
Philippe Bergeron	...	Pierre Tari
Rachael Taylor	...	Sam Fulton
Louis Giambalvo	...	George Taber
Greg Collins	...	Trucker
Luis Saguar	...	Man #1 (as Louis Saguar)
James Hiser	...	Man #2
Geoff Callan	...	Man #3

Storyline

In 1976, Steven Spurrier, a sommelier in Paris, comes to the Napa Valley to take the best he can find to Paris for a blind taste test against French wine. He meets Jim Barrett, whose Chateau Montelena is mortgaged to the hilt as Jim perfects his chardonnay. There's strain in Jim's relations with his hippie son Bo and his foreman Gustavo, a Mexican farmworker's son secretly making his own wine. Plus, there's Sam, a UC Davis graduate student and free spirit, mutually attracted to both Gustavo and Bo. As Spurrier organizes the "Judgment of Paris," Jim doesn't want to participate while Bo knows it's their only chance. Barrett's chardonnay has buttery notes and a Smithsonian finish.

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Plot Keywords:

wine | overalls | flat tire | airport | blowing out a tire | 

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Taglines:

Based on a true story of love, victory and fermentation.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some sexual content and a scene of drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Parisian street scenes were filmed in Sonoma, CA using cars provided by members of the Arcane Auto Society car club. The automobile's owners were used as extras in the street scenes that showed their cars.

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Goofs

(at around 1 min) One of the characters mentions that if the French lose, they might bring back the Guillotine. In actual fact, it was still in use in 1976, as it was the standard method of Execution in France. (The last Execution was in 1977, and the Death Penalty itself was abolished in 1981.)

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bo Barrett: [voice-over during a vineyard pan] It wasn't always like this. Before Paris, people didn't drink our wine. I mean, my friends did. But you could hardly consider their palates discerning...
Bo Barrett: Hell, we were farmers... sort of...
[pan to empty bottles of Montelena label and several early twenties/late teens smoking hookah]

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Connections

Referenced in Truth or Dare (2018)

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Soundtracks

Listen to the Music
Written by Tom Johnston
Performed by The Doobie Brothers (as Doobie Brothers)
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

Bottle Shock: The Sideways of 2008

I recently got a chance to see Bottle Shock and I have to say I thought it was great. It's really charming and interesting in a very different way from Sideways, although because of all the beautiful Napa Valley photography, it still reminded me of it. It also has great characters and hilarious moments the way that film does. I highly recommend this film.

Based on a true story, it chronicles how California wine makers became serious contenders in the world competition of wine-- an honor previously assumed to be rewarded always to the French. It centers around a town of quirky up and coming wine makers, each with their own challenges to face. It's got a great cast, including Bill Pullman, Chris Pine, Freddie Rodriguez, Rachel Taylor, Eliza Dushku and the hilarious Alan Rickman. Rickman plays an English wine seller in France who's desperate to find the best wines to sell in his store. He travels to California to see if the rumors are true about California's wines. His performance alone is worth seeing this.

It's a charming, heartwarming movie that I think will do very well when it opens 8/8. Check it out, you wont be disappointed.

9/10

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German

Release Date:

5 September 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bottle Shock

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$278,075, 10 August 2008

Gross USA:

$4,078,607

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,628,553

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shocking Bottle, Unclaimed Freight Productions, Intellectual Properties Worldwide (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1