With much loving, longing gazing at the Napa Valley landscape, it's awfully good-looking, if you can discount the high-waisted bell-bottoms and the homely yellow AMC Gremlin that wheezes into scenes every once in a while.
CommentDec 24, 2009
Bottle Shock (2008)
48
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:116
Fresh:56
Rotten:60
Average Rating:5.6/10
Consensus: Bottle Shock fails to properly utilize the inspiring true tale at its core, settling instead for an ordinary, plodding account.
Theatrical Release: Jan 18, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $3.9M
Synopsis: "Bottle Shock" explores the birth of California's Napa wine industry, and their triumph over the French at the 1976 Paris Tastings. [More]
Starring: Alan Rickman, Chris Pine, Bill Pullman, Rachael Taylor
Director: Randall Miller
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REVIEWS FOR BOTTLE SHOCK
It doesn't exactly come off as boxed wine to the top-shelf sensibilities of Sideways, but there's not enough story or heart for it to capture the same lightning in a bottle.
Aug 14, 2009
As a rather strenuous attempt at a feel-good movie, Bottle Shock falls a long way short of the mark.
Apr 10, 2009
It's not in the same league as Sideways but it has a fragrant sense of the beauty of wine and winemaking, not just the drinking.
Apr 3, 2009
Bottle Shock is one of those cockle-warming, feel-good underdog films in the tradition of Strictly Ballroom. Only in this case Scott and Fran are, respectively, a Chardonnay with tangerine undertones, and a Cabernet Merlot blend.
Mar 28, 2009
Predictable in its moves, it's engaging enough, though it has nowhere near the characterisation, say, of Paul Giamatti and Thomas Hayden Church in Sideways.
Mar 27, 2009
Predictable, corny, schmaltzy, inane, unfunny, flat, sentimental and utterly fatuous. Most of the acting is bad, and none of the characters are interesting. Watching it is about as culturally rewarding as actually getting drunk, and less fun.
Mar 27, 2009
In the same way Good Night And Good Luck sends you hurtling for whisky and a Malboro, and Sideways prompts a pining for pinot noir, Bottle Shock will have you craving a chilled glass of Californian chardonnay.
Mar 27, 2009
Rickman is priceless as the self-parodying wine snob, stealing every scene he is in by continually pulling the rug from under himself.
Mar 27, 2009
It’s a triumph of the underdog film, but what it does have is a simply delicious performance by Alan Rickman, who does resigned disdain like no one else on screen.
Mar 27, 2009
It's easy to take, enjoyable and escapist, and while it celebrates Californian wine making, it doesn't disparage the French.
Mar 20, 2009
. Like the chardonnay at the heart of the story, Bottle Shock is light with good body and plenty of flavour. It's also uplifting and amusing. In short, it makes you feel good.
Mar 20, 2009
Alan Rickman plays the British wine expert who sponsors the test and is at his most comically feline. It's a great film about passion, eccentricity, families and... wine
Mar 19, 2009
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Mar 19, 2009
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Mar 19, 2009
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Feb 27, 2009
Alan Rickman is one of my favorite actors, and I wanted to see Bottle Shock if only for his performance. Rickman's performance is great as usual, and Bottle Shock, despite some contrivance, is a very entertaining movie.
Feb 1, 2009
What this film needed was a whole lot more scenes with the good actors and lot less scenes of those Ken and Barbie Doll types.
Jan 31, 2009
You can enjoy the mild bouquet of Bottle Shock as pleasantly sparkling, but it could have been plummier. Rickman sends up a full-bodied sneering British snob.
Nov 10, 2008
In light of all its swooping and swishing helicopter shots of the sun-dappled Napa Valley, [it] might as well have been photographed from the bridge of the Starship Enterprise.
Oct 22, 2008
LATEST NEWS FOR BOTTLE SHOCK
October 30, 2008:
DIY Distribution Comes of Age
Once strictly the realm of the truly hard to watch, DIY film distribution is on the upswing among filmmakers disenchanted with the studio system.
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July 30, 2008:
Indie Filmmakers Redefining "D.I.Y."
With distribution deals not as plentiful as they've been in recent years, a growing number of indie filmmakers are bypassing the studio system entirely and opting to release their films themselves.
More...
January 24, 2008:
Chris Pine Discusses Life as Captain Kirk
Chris Pine went to Sundance to promote his new movie Bottle Shock -- but when you're the new Captain Kirk, that's really all anyone wants to talk about. Fortunately, Pine has proven himself willing to...
More...
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