JIm Barrett (Bill Pullman) dropped out of the corporate world to open a vineyard in Napa Valley, California, in the early 1970s. With the help of his son Bo (Chris Pine) and some rather unconventional methods, Château Montelena makes some moderate inroads in the area. Other vintners are also producing in the valley, all with dreams of eventually going international but with the caution that their wines were purely regional in nature.
Meanwhile, Brit-in-Paris Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) hopes to revive his flailing wine business by hosting a wine competition. A fellow wine connoisseur American-in-Paris (Dennis Farina) , and a friend encourages him to go to California for a gimmick for the contest.
Off Spurrier goes to the Napa Valley where he samples many wines and also discovers the foods the locals are serving with the wine -- fried chicken in a bucket and chips 'n dips. RIckman gives the perfect balance of distain and joy.
Spurrier selects the wines to travel to Paris for the competition and Bo ends up going to represent the vintners of Napa Valley. What happens then is the tale of a fairy tale come true -- and it really is true!
With Rachael Taylor as a love interest for Bo, Freddy Rodríguez as Bo's best friend and hopeful vintner himself, and Eliza Dushku as the barkeep who really believes.
A fabulous feel-good flick!
Screenplay cowritten and directed by Randall Miller.
Run time: 1 hour, 50 minutesRated PG-13 for brief strong language, some sexual content and a scene of drug use.
My personal rating: A
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