Review of Bottle Shock (2008) by Eugene L — 02 Feb 2011

Some other reviewer mentioned that this movie seemed to have been hastily constructed around beautiful, sweeping vistas of Napa Valley. For the most part, I can heartily agree. Who gives a shit about stoner/slacker teens and the intricacies of their sexual exploits? How many zillion times have we seen some teen movie with just such a facile sex story? What should be the main focus of the film is the development of the American wine industry and its eventual overthrow of French snobbery (in the wine field at least).

Bill Pullman and Alan Rickman were the most interesting characters whose time was sadly limited in development or backstory (especially Rickman's). A bunch of Doobie Brothers songs, shots of the Napa Valley and occasional snippets of interesting story do not make a movie.

I was very underwhelmed.