Uncorked

Overview

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Elijah must balance his dream of becoming a master sommelier with his father's expectations that he carry on the family's Memphis BBQ joint.

This film has a problem with it's pace. The story is of a young man (Mamoudou Athie) who is passionate about his wine and who wants to become a professional sommelier. He faces the usual reservations from his restauranteur father (Courtney B. Vance) - who yearns for him to follow in his footsteps at his rib-joint. Things come to a head when he has the opportunity to travel to Paris with his student friends to finesse his skills and - with the help of a family fund-raiser - he just about manages to get there (going halves with his friend) before his cancer-stricken mother causes all concerned to reappraise their priorities. The concept is well-trodden, but the acting is sensitive and makes a decent attempt to break down stereotypes - both of a racial, and of a gender nature - using wine as an interesting conduit. Unfortunately, it lacks oomph - the performances and direction have a sort of laissez-faire style about them - the passion is described well enough, but we don't see much evidence of it in action.