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Bottle Shock

Oct 19 at 4:15 & 7 pm, Oct 20 at 7 pm in Owen Sound
Oct 22 at 6:45 in Port Elgin

There are certain unforgettable moments in history when America has triumphed against long odds and proved itself to the world: Neil Armstrong setting foot on the moon; the U.S. Men’s Hockey team beating the Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympics. But one such moment has never received the recognition it deserves: In 1976, a small American winery sent shock waves through the wine industry by besting the exalted French wines in a blind tasting, putting California wines on the map for good.

Novice vintner Jim Barrett risked everything to realize his dream of creating the perfect hand-crafted California Chardonnay. Meanwhile in Paris, struggling wine seller Steven Spurrier came up with an idea for a publicity stunt to help his floundering shop. Little did Spurrier and Barrett realize they were about to change the history of wine forever.

Since its premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, Bottle Shock has won the hearts of critics and festival audiences alike. Based on a true story, the dramatic comedy is directed by Randall Miller (Nobel Son, Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School) from a screenplay by Jody Savin (Nobel Son, Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School), Miller and Ross Schwartz (The Smartest Person Who Ever Lived). The film stars Bill Pullman (Independence Day, Sleepless in Seattle), Chris Pine (Smokin’ Aces, the upcoming Star Trek feature), Emmy® and Golden Globe winner Alan Rickman (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Love Actually, the Harry Potter movies), Rachael Taylor (Shutter, Transformers), and Freddy Rodriguez (Bobby, “Six Feet Under”).

Shot on location in the breathtakingly beautiful Northern California wine country, Bottle Shock focuses on the contentious relationship between headstrong perfectionist Jim Barrett (Pullman), a former attorney, and his free-spirited son Bo (Pine). For all their differences, the two share a dream of producing a great Chardonnay at the Chateau Montelena vineyard Jim founded in Calistoga in the early 1970s.

Enter Steven Spurrier (Rickman), a British expatriate trolling Napa in search of bottles for an upcoming wine tasting event he has arranged in France. His goal: to promote the diversity of offerings in his failing Paris wine shop. Spurrier is surprised by the quality of the wines he encounters, among them Barrett’s Chardonnay. But Barrett, put off by Spurrier’s snobbish attitude, refuses to participate in the contest. Meanwhile, Bo is lunged into soul-searching after beautiful intern Sam (Taylor) spurns his advances in favor of his best friend, budding vintner Gustavo (Rodriguez). Stung into action, he rallies to turn around his reputation as an ambitionless loser.

Against his father’s wishes, Bo delivers two bottles of Chateau Montelena Chardonnay to Spurrier for the contest, just as the wine salesman is about to board a plane back to Paris. The move angers the elder Barrett, but he is far more devastated when he discovers that his entire vintage, though exceptional in taste, has mysteriously turned brown. It’s the last straw for Barrett, who decides to have the discolored wine hauled away, quit the business and beg for his old job back.

But when Sam looks up a viniculturist who explains that the discoloration is a rare but temporary condition—a result of the Montelena winemaker’s perfectionism—the race is on for Bo and Sam to tell Barrett the good news before the wine gets dumped and Chateau Montelena falls into the hands of its creditors.

 

Director:  Randall Miller

Cast:  Bill Pullman, Chris Pine, Alan Rickman, Rachael Taylor, Freddy Rodriguez

Year:  2008

Runtime:  110 minutes

Rating:  14A

Country:  USA

Language:  English