Bottle Shock is, on the surface, about a blind wine-tasting competition, held in France, where California and French nectared offerings of the vine are vying for top marks from le creme de la crop of French wine aficionados. What captivated however is the intoxicating depth of the connections between the players and what motivates each of them. There's the connection between the non-French businessmen in France. There's the connection between father and son. Between the vintners in CA who are tired of being red-headed stepchildren in the world of wine, like the rest of the world, in comparison with French wine. Between Mexican vintner whose love of the art is ancestral and imbibed with passion and the rich man who is playing at it -- albeit playing hard. Between the non-committed but committed intern and the heads she turns. Motivations traverse the gamut, from purely business to a search for significance. There's a dry humour throughout and a collective heart that squeezes tears. The competition is based on a true story, which adds depth upon depth.

In 1976, in the Napa Valley, the perfectionist vigneron Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) is the owner of the Château Montelena that is full of debts and near bankruptcy. Jim is unsuccessfully racking his wine trying to reach perfection. He has a problematic relationship with his hippie son Bo (Chris Pine) and his Mexican foreman and connoisseur Gustavo Brambila (Freddy Rodriguez) is secretly producing wine with his father Mr. Garcia (Miguel Sandoval). Jim hires the free spirit intern Sam Fulton (Rachael Taylor) from UC Davis to help him in the production of wine. Meanwhile in Paris, the wine expert Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) that owns a specialized store has few clients. His friend Maurice Cantavale (Dennis Farina) advises him to promote his store and he decides to organize a blind tasting competition between the French and the American wines. He travels to Napa Valley to find the best American wines to bring to the dispute. He has a troubled meeting with Jim that refuses to participate in the competition. However Bo foresees the chance of survival of his father's business and gives two bottles to Spurrier. But soon he finds that the color of all the 500 bottles of chardonnay have turned into brown. Is Jim Barrett's business doomed? "Bottle Shock" is a delightful movie based on a true story. This little but charming movie is not available on DVD in Brazil but only on cable ("O Julgamento de Paris", meaning "The Paris Judgement"), but I bought the American DVD following the advice of a friend of mine from California. The story has a pleasant screenplay with entertaining subplots that might or might not really happen, such as the triangle of love among Sam, Gustavo and Bo, that keeps the plot never boring. The cast has good names associated to the beautiful locations that make this little movie worthwhile watching. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): Not Available

Randall Miller's "Bottle Shock" is a pretty good comedy about a 1976 competition in which European vineyards were pitted against Californian wine estates. Lightweight, amiable and based on a true story (whose facts it plays loose with), the film stars Bill Pullman as a troubled vintner, Chris Pine as his air-headed son, and Alan Rickman as his customarily morose self.A populist version of "Sideways", "Bottle Shock" pits American egos versus French snobbery. Bizarrely for such a quasi-nationalistic film, it sports a subplot in which a "Mexican" wine maker bashes white Americans for not valuing either land or the art of fermentation. Our heroes, two American underdogs, eventually prove him wrong; they produce wine so pure that it's white rather than red! And our "Mexican"? He's slowly and unceremoniously jettisoned from the film. And the French? They're schooled in the art of real wine-making. USA! USA! USA! "Bottle Shock" stars Eliza Dushku in a small but cute role as a local bar owner. Elsewhere Chris Pine is funny as a Californian beach bum, and the film is awash with grandiose helicopter shots, all of which glide across unending acres of sparkling, Californian plantations. The film was bashed by film critics, but never pretends to be anything other than a middle finger to connoisseurs.7.9/10 – Worth one viewing. See "Mondovino", "Corked" and "This Earth is Mine".

An outstanding film, that I too thought would be no good, given I had not even heard of it. However I like Alan Rickman, and came across this title on Netflix. This film should have taken in millions but opened on only 48 screens. Someone obviously judged it a dud and did not effectively promote it.I was shocked at how great a film it is. I cheered for the home team and learned a little more about wine growing, and while I've seen many 'we're about to lose the farm' movies, I found myself absorbed in the movie enough that the much-used scenario did not come to mind.Other reviewers bagging on 'wig' and 'bad acting' must be teenagers or on crack. I've seen hundreds of movies, and grew up on the 70's. If you weren't there, then you cannot appreciate the look. Chris Pine fit the mold.The acting was first rate, and Chris Pine is right at home as a 70's youngster. In fact, ALL the acting in this movie is perfectly fine. The script is great, except for the predictable exceptions such as the hitching a ride scene (girl flashes, guy fails).Love the cinematography, the vineyards and region. This film deserves so much more attention and recognition than it apparently received.