It's time to break out the wine, friends. I took a class during college, where I literally got graded for drinking wine and giving my opinions on it. A movie about wine is right up my alley. Uncorked centers around Elijah, played by Mamoudou Athie, who dreams of one day becoming a master sommelier. Fueled by his love for wine, he enrolls in an elite sommelier training program. Elijah trains to become one of the few who will pass the infamously hard exam at the end of the program. Elijah's father Louis, played by Courtney B. Vance, struggles with his son's dreams due to his own dream of Elijah inheriting the family barbecue business one day. Elijah struggles at home due to these differences, the hard program, and trying to juggle a relationship on top of it all. It isn't until a tragedy that brings Louis and Elijah together despite their differences. For those familiar with Penny's work on Insecure, you'll get the same masterful writing, heartwarming characters, and an original plot to boot. Let's start with praise for Athie and Vance. They both were just phenomenal. The way Athie took us on a journey of Elijah's emotions of having to deal with his dreams versus family expectations moved me. It was so convincing, especially in the moments after a tragedy affects him so deeply that he's not sure what to do with his dreams anymore. Of course, Vance played his role as a dad who feels betrayed by his son perfectly. In fact, he played it so well I got annoyed with him several times for how he acted against his son. The writing I mentioned? Exceptional. This story felt very refreshing and new despite it having familiar concepts. My wine class exposed me to a lot of wine and food content, but never something like this. The dialogue and the music made this feel incredibly authentic. I was almost shaken to my core when the movie was over because I was so caught up in everything I didn't realize we were coming to an end. The overarching theme of how your dreams affect you and others in your life was approached with finesse and nuance. It really emphasized how the journey, not the destination to get to your dreams is what matters. In my opinion, wine is an under-explored topic in the world of movies and TV. I'm not talking about your wine-loving reality housewives (though they are amazing to watch). I'm talking more in the nuanced world of wine, the process of making it, and also working in the industry. Winery expertise was not the thing I would associate a heart-warming story of a family, but I'm so glad it did.
This movie was smooth - like a glass of buttery Chardonnay.
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