Bottle ShockMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Bottle Shock."

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 56 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 Iffy for 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Bottle Shock is more than the story. It is also about people who love their work, care about it with passion and talk about it with knowledge. Read full review

  • 80
    The Hollywood Reporter |

    This intelligent, affectionate, beautifully acted movie gives crowd-pleasers a good name. Read full review

  • 75
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    Low budget, self-distributed, awkwardly charming, it's the kind of midrange Hollywood entertainment that's supposed to be extinct in this modern age. It makes you want to support your local vintner and your local moviemaker. Read full review

  • 75
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    It's a winner. And not just for oenophiles. Director Randall Miller, who co-wrote the script with his wife Jody Savin, keeps the plot brimming with spirit and wit. Read full review

  • 75
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    It's the kind of feel-good movie whose resolution is evident from the start, being based as it is on a true story. But that doesn't make the journey any less interesting. Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post | Stephen Hunter

    Whatta movie: booze, unhappy French people, Alan Rickman and really cool pickup trucks. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Robert Koehler

    Wine lovers won't just sip but guzzle a lot of this down, and the same effect that sun-dappled days and sex in California had on "Sideways" operates here. Read full review

  • 50
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    Bottle Shock is unable to figure out what kind of movie it wants to be, and flops around between madcap comedy and rousing drama. To borrow a wine-snob term of art, it lacks structure. Read full review

  • 50
    Los Angeles Times |

    The soul of the grape, that thing that elevates a wine to greatness, proves here as elusive on screen as in the bottle. Read full review

  • 25
    San Francisco Chronicle |

    This schlocky period piece doesn't do the pioneering Northern Californians justice. The script is overwritten to the point of parody. Read full review

View more reviews for Bottle Shock on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 14+ Comedy about wine rivalry blends fun, heart.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this true story of a 1976 wine contest between French and U.S. wine-makers isn't likely to hold much interest for kids. The opening sequence sets up the youthful "counter-culture" lifestyle of the era, complete with various shots of drug use, alcohol, etc. A love scene between two main characters includes partial nudity and some passionate foreplay but is generally tame by current standards. Some relatively mild swearing is sprinkled throughout and, of course, lots of wine flows.
  • Families can talk about the father-son relationship at the core of the movie. What does Bo do to earn his father's respect? How do the filmmakers show the changes in this important relationship? What does this movie have in common with other films that tell the story of an underdog going up against a strong opponent? Who do you think its target audience is?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: A Mexican man is the victim of a brief episode of racism. International competition resorts to some cultural stereotypes (i.e. Americans as "hicks," French people as snobs).
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: Several father-son boxing matches are used to dispel real anger, including one powerful roundhouse blow. A truck driver receives one punch.
  • sex false3 Sex: Most of the sexuality is confined to one scene that includes passionate kissing as prelude to sex, a couple who begin undressing, post-sexual partial nudity, and a flash of breasts.
  • language false3 Language: Infrequent cursing includes "goddamn," "bullsh--t," "f--k you," "a--hole," "screw," "bitch," and "s--t."
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Wineries and brand names play significant roles (Chateau Montelena, Gallo, Buena Vista, etc.). Other products seen or referred to include American Airlines, TWA, Kentucky Colonel.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Wine drinking figures prominently throughout, usually within the accepted standards of responsible behavior. Opening sequence with marijuana use is used to place the film in the 1970s. Some beer drinking, some drunkenness in bar, smoking on two occasions.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Bottle Shock Movie Ratings + Reviews

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