Entertainment, Movies - Navy Times

Spirits don’t really soar in ‘Bottle Shock’

Somewhere deep down inside of “Bottle Shock,” there is a good movie trying to get out.

All the elements are there. Based on a true story, the movie is about a small California chardonnay that beat more renowned wines in a prestigious French competition. It should be a classic underdog tale. To top it all off, the action happens in 1976, which gives the whole thing a certain flag-waving air.

Unfortunately, what sounds workable in print doesn’t play that well on the big screen. Too many cliches pile up, the stereotypes run deep and director Randall Miller (who also co-wrote the script) lets things amble on without a lot of momentum. Perhaps he was distracted by the scenery. Napa Valley looks gorgeous here, after all.

Jim (a reliable Bill Pullman) left behind his law practice for life as a winemaker. It’s not easy, however: He struggles with the business and constantly battles with his son, Bo (Chris Pine), who refuses to grow up.

That’s where some of the movie’s biggest problems come in. The father-son conflict is a complete bore, with Bo being nothing more than a long-haired stick figure. Even the dialogue is lame: “Woodstock was seven years ago,” Jim informs Bo, as if a middle-age winemaker would be able to recall the date off the top of his head.

Alan Rickman is Steven Spurrier, a snooty British connoisseur who is in California looking for some “respectable competition.” In one predictable sequence, Steven glares down with disgrace at some Kentucky Fried Chicken, then digs in. It’s the kind of scene — and role — that Rickman could play in his sleep.

The rest of the movie has that kind of overly familiar air to it. The tricks Miller uses to try to juice things up — at one point, it looks like Jim will quit the business — do nothing to keep interest high. The fact that almost all of the characters are written to be pancake-thin doesn’t help. Worst off is Gustavo (Freddy Rodriguez), a second banana whose only noticeable traits are that he is hot-headed and Hispanic.

Even the period setting doesn’t feel particularly accurate. The soundtrack features a lot of the Doobie Brothers (too much, actually), and references to the bicentennial and Cesar Chavez are tossed around, but it never rings true.

The best thing about the movie: It provides Pullman with a lead role, which is always a good thing. That’s something you can drink to. But as for the rest of it? Sorry, but I’ll have a Diet Coke instead.

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

Bottle Shock (PG 13) One and One-Half Stars (Poor-to-Fair)