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

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German

Release Date:

5 September 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Borban az igazság

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$277,839, 10 August 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,040,588, 17 October 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Montgomery Paulsen, who plays an uncredited role as the wine store patron, is a professional winemaker by trade.

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Goofs

When Spurrier leaves the tasting fee under the ashtray and the owner picks it up, it is a new style bill with the large numbers which were not in use until the nineties.

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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

Stand Back
Written by Gregg Allman and Raymond Berry Oakley
Performed by The Allman Brothers Band
Courtesy of The Island Def Jam Music Group
Under License from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Pullman, Rickman, and Rodriguez are stellar. A nice break from all the summer action.

The ensemble dramedy is always a potentially great film, and what it ultimately comes down to is the writing, and whether or not the film is heartfelt enough for its audience to be moved. While Bottle Shock won't be winning any Oscars, it certainly accomplishes the aforementioned goals. In short, the film is very honest, heartfelt, informative, and enjoyable. It will draw its comparisons to 'Sideways' because of the subject matter and some of the characters (Bill Pullman in BS and Paul Giamatti in SW have similar characters), but what sets Bottle Shock apart is that it looks at the wine itself as a character. You care just as much about the wine as you do about the characters.

Bottle Shock may be categorized as a comedy in some listings, but I felt that this isn't right. It's more of a drama than comedy, but it does have its light hearted and funny moments, most of which center around Rickman's British man getting involved in 1970's California culture. The film does a great job of setting up an atmosphere in which we can get lost in, not to mention shows a part of the USA rarely seen. The cinematography and physical landscape of the film is beautiful. It also is smoothly edited.

The acting is always a topic of conversation in this kind of movie, and I found the film to have a lot of subtle and powerful performances, especially from Bill Pullman and Alan Rickman. Pullman's character is quite the specimen. A man who's quit his job as a lawyer (and partner of a firm) to grow grapes, essentially, and is having a hard time watching it fail. I felt that Pullman nailed the nuances and little emotions he needed to. He also had a good dynamic with Chris Pine. The restrained anger was especially well done by the veteran. Alan Rickman gives yet another interesting and intriguing performance in a part that was probably written for him. In the hands of any other actor, the character is bland at best, but Rickman gives Steven Spurrier a certain depth that makes him likable despite his snobbish attitude.

Surprising me with yet another great show after his wonderful performance in 'Bobby', Freddy Rodriguez gets a lot to chew on here. This guy has got to be one of the most underrated and rare talents in the business. I appreciated his Oscar worthy turn in 'Bobby', and he probably gives the most difficult and well done performance after Pullman. Chris Pine is acceptable, but is nothing special. Rachael Taylor has a certain likable charm about her (she has gorgeous hair and eyes), though the fact that her strong British accent slipped into her obviously fake American one a few times bothered me. Dennis Farina and Eliza Dushku are nice additions in smaller parts.

Bottle Shock certainly isn't for everyone. You won't find super huge action sequences or psychotic bad guys here, but you'll find a remarkable character study with a compelling enough story to keep a viewer interested. It is a movie that doesn't require a ton of thought, but some attention is needed. I will give our director and writer some props for keeping the movie going smoothly. It never dragged or was boring. If this one is playing at your local cinema, I advise you to give it a chance.