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.
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11/10/08
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Bottle Shock (2008)
45 %
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Reviews Counted: 99
Fresh: 45
Rotten:54
Average Rating: 5.5/10
Consensus: Bottle Shock fails to properly utilize the inspiring true tale at its core, settling instead for an ordinary, plodding account.
Theatrical Release: Aug 8, 2008 Limited
Box Office: $3,939,185
Synopsis: Looking for a way to boost his failing Parisian wine shop, a snobbish Brit named Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) heads to California's Napa Valley, preparing for a tasting contest he has set up, pitting his favorite French wines against... [More]
Starring: Alan Rickman, Chris Pine, Bill Pullman, Rachael Taylor
Director: Randall Miller
Reviews for Bottle Shock
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.
10/22/08
It's such a rewarding movie going experience it's tempting to trot out all the adjectives generally used to describe a good wine. Not being a connoisseur I'll just say that it left me with a very pleasant buzz.
09/04/08
I was slightly involved towards the end, but the story's constant shift in focus made it hard for me to care through most of it
09/02/08
It might have worked better as a documentary, or better yet a paragraph on Wikipedia.
08/29/08
Bottle Shock feels more like an excuse to exercise the most familiar of screenwriting formulas than to explore the origins of California's booming wine industry.
08/29/08
It's is like that bottle of wine that makes you feel like you paid too much for what you got.
08/27/08
There's also Alan Rickman as Steven Spurrier -- and when he's on-screen, all is right with this movie and the world.
08/27/08
'I detect bacon fat, laced with honey melon,' says a wine lover played by Dennis Farina. Moviegoers are more likely to detect corn, with a bit of ham.
08/25/08
Though this film may be based on a true story, it comes off as a collection of cliches peopled by characters straight out of central casting.
08/24/08
The people who made Bottle Shock obviously love their wine. They're not that crazy about the French. And they are firm believers in the screenwriting rule of leaving no underdog-formula cliché unused.
08/22/08
Frankly, the droll Rickman is the most watchable thing about the movie. A subplot dealing with Bo's wine-savvy buddy (Freddy Rodriguez) has its moments, too, but isn't given enough time to come to its fruition.
08/22/08
Verdict: Chewy, ripe and rounded almost to the point of flabbiness, it finishes rather cleanly; less satisfying is the fragrant bouquet, which contains notes of corn and all-wet underdog.
08/21/08
Even though the whole thing is based on reality, there's barely a moment that goes by that feels real.
08/18/08
If Bottle Shock were a wine, someone would probably call it amusing with a hint of apricot. I'd just call it a heck of a lot of fun.
08/15/08
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. More...
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... More...
June 15, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review
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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... More...
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'Bottle Shock' Is Not Quite Ripe Enough For A Trip To The Theater
by: MH and THE MOVIES 8/31
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73%
