Like 2004’s successful Sideways glorified wine, leading many to draw the simile that film is like an aged wine that is appreciated over time, the upcoming Bottle Shock hopes to dodge criticism through wine’s pretentious parallels. By casting Chris Pine, Rachael Taylor, Eliza Dushku, Bill Pullman and Alan Rickman, director Randall M. Miller (Houseguest) has already popped the cork out of a bottle of mediocrity, says The Hollywood Reporter.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of Pullman and Rickman, and Taylor and Dushku are easy on the eyes, but the Cinderella story of the Montelena Winery, which won an international wine-tasting competition and put the California region on the map doesn’t seem to have that full-bodied presentation. Pine will play the son of the vineyard owner, who saves the winery and represents Napa in the French tasting, while Taylor plays a university student who interns at the winery. Dushku will be the local bartender with an attitude, and Pullman plays the owner of the run-down winery who clashes with his son. Rickman, on the other hand, is playing an Englishman who runs the L’Academie du Vin in Paris and the creator of the blind taste test challenge.
The film already seems as boring as people who sniff wine before drinking it. Here is to Pullman and Rickman’s charm and Taylor and Dushku’s hopeful lack of clothing. After all, a wine drunk is as good as any.
