It's nice to watch a movie about a black man in America immersed in black culture that isn't centered on violence and hip hop music. Kudos to Mamoudou Athie and Courtney Vance for superior acting.
85 Reviews
I am a sommelier and liked it!
aikedegraaf2 April 2020
Good Movie from a Black perspective👏🏿👍🏿
kennykenny-6192329 March 2020
My wife & I recently visited Napa Valley last October for our anniversary, & attended a few wine tastings in Barcelona the year before. So I was definitely familiar with the subject matter(my wife's has been interested with the wine 🍷 industry for a while now) So this movie was a no brainer recommendation for her.
What I really appreciate it about this movie was that it was towed from a Black perspective it wasn't the typical black story so to speak. I really loved Courtney B Vance and Neicy Nash's chemistry on screen. The lead Mamadou Athie, did a great Job with expressing the dilemma with Wanting to pursue your dreams and not disappoint your father I definitely could relate to the on screen performances from him and Courtney B Vance. Really good job, without spoiling anything I think the one great that viewers may have Is the feeling of unfulfillment with the ending. That's not to say that it wasn't a good movie because it was I could just see that being the one critique of the film. I am myself definitely understood the message with him wanting to continue pursuing what he set out to do and I appreciated that.
Great foodie movie.
sibleybridges28 March 2020
Not enough for a movie
jordymadueno8 August 2020
I liked the father and son's story but I don't think it was enough for a movie. Maybe a short film but it felt flat even with the obvious plot twists. In other words, it was too much content for such a weak climax at the end. It was not well balanced.
What to do, who to be?
kosmasp28 June 2020
The lead may be black, the struggle is universal. The point being, he and his issues are more than relatable! The major ones that is, the ones where he does not know what path to take. Or at least is struggling because of his dad and expectations of course.
Now this is for dreamers, a drama that will entice you if you let it. It is not easy and maybe not always right to take a certain path. But you have to take risks - how does that play out with those who are close to you though? And can there be peace? How do you know you did the right thing? You gotta open that bottle (of opportunity) to know ...
Now this is for dreamers, a drama that will entice you if you let it. It is not easy and maybe not always right to take a certain path. But you have to take risks - how does that play out with those who are close to you though? And can there be peace? How do you know you did the right thing? You gotta open that bottle (of opportunity) to know ...
Perhaps not the finest wine, but not bad
jordan224024 February 2021
The movie was well-acted and generally held our interest, but it seemed oddly edited. Some scenes changed rather quickly without any segue that made them understandable. Also, it seemed to us that some of the sadder parts of the storyline were totally unnecessary, and did little to advance the story. Overall, not bad, but not nearly on the level of 'Sideways' as wine movies go, and not on the level of others I've seen (though can't recall them now) that deal with the child-goes-against-parents-wishes theme.
Unexpected pleasure
moulindebarre29 March 2020
I live in France so can understand the obsession some have with wine. Why such an overall low rating? This was beautifully acted with a believable open ending. No rush at the end to tie things up. It was great to watch a black film without a feeling of dread.
uncorked
marmar-6978030 March 2020
Uncorked was a movie that had a plot where son is dreaming to become what he loves while his father wants to purse him to chose his way of life and legacy of doing business,first i will say that uncorked is a nicely told story about father son relationship and how they can both relate and disagree with some decisions they are making and how that effects them,story and acting was in big parts of a film very strong only some side characters were unnecserey for me and story sometimes focused to much on them,uncorked was a fine time in front of screen and it give me nice warm moments
My thoughts
pipsis0323 May 2020
The storyline is familiar to all (protagonist wants a different style of life than his/her parents and faces hardship because of it) but the sommelier and wine aspect brought a tiny little twist to it.
I thought the scenes were filmed in a nice way. I especially liked the short shots that showed the neighborhood and the heartwarming scenes with family interactions.
The script had a lot of issues however. In my opinion everything was happening too fast. That left no time for explaining or building up the actions and decisions. The characters felt unfamiliar to me throughout the whole movie. I constantly questioned why this and that was happening or how it came to be. Most of the twists didn't excite me and I have to say that I felt bored at times.
The acting was okay but I think that the bad script took a edge off from it. At times the dialogue felt a tad dry and other times it was good. The relationships and interactions between the characters were quite good.
I did find it enjoyable and funny at times but most of the time the movie felt average and even below it.
I thought the scenes were filmed in a nice way. I especially liked the short shots that showed the neighborhood and the heartwarming scenes with family interactions.
The script had a lot of issues however. In my opinion everything was happening too fast. That left no time for explaining or building up the actions and decisions. The characters felt unfamiliar to me throughout the whole movie. I constantly questioned why this and that was happening or how it came to be. Most of the twists didn't excite me and I have to say that I felt bored at times.
The acting was okay but I think that the bad script took a edge off from it. At times the dialogue felt a tad dry and other times it was good. The relationships and interactions between the characters were quite good.
I did find it enjoyable and funny at times but most of the time the movie felt average and even below it.
Did People See The Same Movie I Did???!!! ***Spoilers***
Mehki_Girl29 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Do people not possess any skills of understanding what was in the screen?!
One viewer said this was a punch in the stomach for black people. I say to that person - Go watch it again. You missed a lot!!!
It was not a downer. By the end, the father and son reconciled. The dad understood his son's passion and was accepting of his choices. And the son went back to pursue his dreams after stopping to help his dad get his second place up and running. How is that a punch in the stomach. A son helping his dad?
He didn't pass the first time. He got feedback, he now knows his weaknesses and can study better.
As far as missing the entire point clearly portrayed, what did people do? Play with their phones during key parts? Go to the bathroom 5 minutes before the end of the movie?
The low rating has nothing to do with this high quality movie. It's usually "certain" people who run to IMDB to downgrade black movies. Ignore them. They feel weak and no longer in control, so this is the petty stuff they do.
For once, a black movie without black people groveling in the ghetto and deciding selling drugs is a good idea.
Watch it with family. Watch it with your kids. It's about striving for what you want, dreams, father and son dynamics, mother's love, young love, relationships, and black life. It has warmth and humor. The three main characters were excellent.
Thoroughly enjoyable.
For once, *I* didn't play with my phone.
One viewer said this was a punch in the stomach for black people. I say to that person - Go watch it again. You missed a lot!!!
It was not a downer. By the end, the father and son reconciled. The dad understood his son's passion and was accepting of his choices. And the son went back to pursue his dreams after stopping to help his dad get his second place up and running. How is that a punch in the stomach. A son helping his dad?
He didn't pass the first time. He got feedback, he now knows his weaknesses and can study better.
As far as missing the entire point clearly portrayed, what did people do? Play with their phones during key parts? Go to the bathroom 5 minutes before the end of the movie?
The low rating has nothing to do with this high quality movie. It's usually "certain" people who run to IMDB to downgrade black movies. Ignore them. They feel weak and no longer in control, so this is the petty stuff they do.
For once, a black movie without black people groveling in the ghetto and deciding selling drugs is a good idea.
Watch it with family. Watch it with your kids. It's about striving for what you want, dreams, father and son dynamics, mother's love, young love, relationships, and black life. It has warmth and humor. The three main characters were excellent.
Thoroughly enjoyable.
For once, *I* didn't play with my phone.
It shows a clear and neat picture without overlooking
dbjohn-994403 April 2020
In line with reality, it shows a clear and neat picture without overlooking whether to become a family B.B.Q. restaurant or a dream sommelier. The ending with a good afterglow is also good. And music. Really good. I feel a lot of affection for Memphis' culture and characters, which are the background in many ways.
Nice story but....
tocanepauli28 March 2020
Enjoyed the story but the "intensivity" just wasn't there! A supposedly very busy BBQ restaurant but nobody seems to be working..... there was no bustle in the kitchen, no skills shown. This film could have been so much better and more interesting (actually a very good story!) with a bit of "passion" and a bit of fire!
7
Edvis-199728 April 2020
Good premise, well executed but felt unfinished
speculatrix25 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The story seemed like a standard trope: father has successful business, works hard and wants his son to take over the business, but the son has other ideas.
The characters are well acted but the plot develops relatively slowly. The girlfriend plays a fairly important role till near the end but then fades from view. The key character fails to achieve his quest, then reconciles with the father, the father then realises the importance of the quest, and as the son tries again the movie ends, leaving the audience hanging.
This movie could have been capable of a solid 7 to 7.5 but because it disappoints only scrapes a six.
The characters are well acted but the plot develops relatively slowly. The girlfriend plays a fairly important role till near the end but then fades from view. The key character fails to achieve his quest, then reconciles with the father, the father then realises the importance of the quest, and as the son tries again the movie ends, leaving the audience hanging.
This movie could have been capable of a solid 7 to 7.5 but because it disappoints only scrapes a six.
Predictable
ACollegeStudent13 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Rating: 6.0
Predictable to the point where nothing was entertaining. We've seen these types of dramas before with the overbearing idiot parent imposing on their child's dreams, the sympathetic parent supporting their child's dreams. The child rebelling against there parents.....with cliché family drama like this you might as well not even watch it. Not really going into depth on this review, it's not worth the time.
Predictable to the point where nothing was entertaining. We've seen these types of dramas before with the overbearing idiot parent imposing on their child's dreams, the sympathetic parent supporting their child's dreams. The child rebelling against there parents.....with cliché family drama like this you might as well not even watch it. Not really going into depth on this review, it's not worth the time.
Nice movie
pieterbos-8960520 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
As someone interested in wine I liked the movie and the storyline which has much more to offer than the path to becoming master sommelier.
I am completely clueless about the choice of music though, which for me shaved two stars of my rating.
I am completely clueless about the choice of music though, which for me shaved two stars of my rating.
True to Life
kiwifreund29 March 2020
Life is never a straight line. Very few of us are doing what we thought we would be doing, or arrived in the manner we thought we would. This movie is a direct reflection of that.
One particular scene, without ruining it, is near the very end. I won't explain it but I hope you will recognize it when you see it. The way the director/writer worked in the imagery and what he was struggling with at that particular time was incredibly effective.
One particular scene, without ruining it, is near the very end. I won't explain it but I hope you will recognize it when you see it. The way the director/writer worked in the imagery and what he was struggling with at that particular time was incredibly effective.
Wine and ambition fuel this sweet family drama, but Sideways it is not.
JohnDeSando31 March 2020
"Hey, if you want to tell people what to drink with their chitlins, I'm fine." Louis (Courtney B. Vance)
If the serious contemplation of a fine wine is a sweet, deliberative process, then Netflix's Uncorked mirrors that measured appreciation in just over an hour and a half. A young son, Elijah (Mamoudou Athie), tells his dad, Louis, that he doesn't want to take over the family Memphis BBQ business. Although dad is a tough boss and father, Vance gives him a humanity not easily discounted.
What Elijah wants is to become a sommelier, which will take intense study the Court of Master Sommeliers. In his spare time, he works for a wine store and craves the Domaine Long-Depaquit Chablis. While that courageous sommelier undertaking occupies some of the film's conflict, even more is given to the tense relationship of father and son, as son disappoints father, who wants him to carry on the family business.
In neither the wine nor family case is any new ground covered, except that the family is black, not an important point of view here but an undertone. The slow changes coming over the principals create dramatic tension in our wanting to know if Elijah will pass the exam (the studying and exams are fearsome, not unlike I suppose for the CPA).
Both Vance and Athie are superb actors, who accurately depict two people who love each other but have different aspirations. The actors of the family and Elijah's girlfriend, Tanya (Sasha Compere), are relaxed and, with one exception, without stereotype. In that regard, they could be of any color and the story arc the same. No surprise that Elijah starts to win Tanya's heart with his description of chardonnay as "the jay Z of wine." As they agree Drake is like a Riesling, they're in love.
Although his color may inhibit his aspirations, he heroically pursues his dream, despite only 230 Master Sommeliers in the world and for oenophiles a white world at that. Although at times the metaphoric language of expert wine appreciation is inscrutable, Elijah's ambition speaks to any young ambitious person. Don't look for the spice of Sideways, a much more entertaining journey, but do savor the arc of a family in change.
If the serious contemplation of a fine wine is a sweet, deliberative process, then Netflix's Uncorked mirrors that measured appreciation in just over an hour and a half. A young son, Elijah (Mamoudou Athie), tells his dad, Louis, that he doesn't want to take over the family Memphis BBQ business. Although dad is a tough boss and father, Vance gives him a humanity not easily discounted.
What Elijah wants is to become a sommelier, which will take intense study the Court of Master Sommeliers. In his spare time, he works for a wine store and craves the Domaine Long-Depaquit Chablis. While that courageous sommelier undertaking occupies some of the film's conflict, even more is given to the tense relationship of father and son, as son disappoints father, who wants him to carry on the family business.
In neither the wine nor family case is any new ground covered, except that the family is black, not an important point of view here but an undertone. The slow changes coming over the principals create dramatic tension in our wanting to know if Elijah will pass the exam (the studying and exams are fearsome, not unlike I suppose for the CPA).
Both Vance and Athie are superb actors, who accurately depict two people who love each other but have different aspirations. The actors of the family and Elijah's girlfriend, Tanya (Sasha Compere), are relaxed and, with one exception, without stereotype. In that regard, they could be of any color and the story arc the same. No surprise that Elijah starts to win Tanya's heart with his description of chardonnay as "the jay Z of wine." As they agree Drake is like a Riesling, they're in love.
Although his color may inhibit his aspirations, he heroically pursues his dream, despite only 230 Master Sommeliers in the world and for oenophiles a white world at that. Although at times the metaphoric language of expert wine appreciation is inscrutable, Elijah's ambition speaks to any young ambitious person. Don't look for the spice of Sideways, a much more entertaining journey, but do savor the arc of a family in change.
I could not focus
timothymadison3 April 2020
Well done!
acreativeforce29 March 2020
Where is the rest?
hoeuropa10 June 2022
I really was enjoying this movie until I got the the end and it seemed to abruptly stop without any type of closure. If you want to spend 2 hours setting up a story and then making up your own ending, this is the movie for you. Other than that, I don't regret watching it.
Cons: no closure, predictable/ boring at times, found myself starting to do other things Pros: unique idea, likable characters, good music, Elijah's voice!
Cons: no closure, predictable/ boring at times, found myself starting to do other things Pros: unique idea, likable characters, good music, Elijah's voice!
Family values and a lot of wine.
peterp-450-2987168 May 2020
Okay, so I want to become a master sommelier.
Is that like a pirate?
No, that's a Somalian.
I don't have a thing for wine. Never had. Even an excellent wine, recommended by connoisseurs, won't appeal to me. I never liked the taste of it. Why the hell would I watch a movie that focuses on the world of wines? Well, it's just a coincidence. I discovered "Uncorked" while browsing Netflix and thought I'd give it a shot. And also because I didn't make the link between the movie title and the whole wine happening. To be honest, I wasn't overly enthusiastic about the part about getting a sommelier diploma. The barbecue restaurant storyline, on the other hand, was mouth-watering. And as the film progressed, my hunger pangs intensified. And that didn't happen since "Chef".
Well, the film doesn't only consist of scenes in which wine bottles are uncorked and someone trying to identify this divine beverage while gurgling and spitting it out. This Netflix drama is also about the inner conflict Elijah (Mamoudou "Underwater" Athie) struggles with. This determined young man from Memphis, whose daily routine consists of helping out in the family business and working in the local wine store, has to make an all-important decision in his life. Either disappoint his father. Either himself. His father Louis (Courtney B. "Ben is back" Vance) is convinced his son will take over the family business in the future. Just like Louis did from his father. And Elijah is increasingly realizing that the profession of a master sommelier is more dear to him than marinating and barbequing spare ribs.
So "Uncorked" brings the well-known theme about a generation gap. On the one hand, Elijah doesn't want to abandon his father. On the other hand, he's still looking for his aim in life. His heart and soul belongs to the sparkling world of wines. A way to mentally travel to other countries ("When I get a wine from someplace like France, someplace like Spain, I just feel like I'm kinda there."), as a compensation for the lack of this in his youth. The problem is that his father doesn't believe anymore in the person Elijah and sees it as yet another insane idea that his son has. And he shows that by acting indifferent and disinterested. Needless to say, there is, of course, Sylvia (Niecy Nash), the concerned and supportive mother figure who properly convinces her husband to let Elijah work it out of his system. She's the missing link between the two poorly communicating vessels, while she herself has to deal with her own health problem.
"Uncorked" is an average movie. A movie that you'd watch while sitting relaxed on your sofa, with or without a glass of wine within reach. A film with a smile and a tear. The humor is not often present but sometimes subtle. For example, the Somalis debacle elicited a brief chuckle. And all this with a soundtrack filled with contemporary hip-hop music that belongs more to the spare ribs house than to the cultured world of wine connoisseurs. It's a movie you love or dislike, just like with wine. Family values and chasing your dreams are the key topics that I'll remember from this movie. But I can't say that the urge for drinking wine got any bigger after watching this Netflix movie.
Uncorked is now available on Netflix
More reviews here: movie-freak.be
I don't have a thing for wine. Never had. Even an excellent wine, recommended by connoisseurs, won't appeal to me. I never liked the taste of it. Why the hell would I watch a movie that focuses on the world of wines? Well, it's just a coincidence. I discovered "Uncorked" while browsing Netflix and thought I'd give it a shot. And also because I didn't make the link between the movie title and the whole wine happening. To be honest, I wasn't overly enthusiastic about the part about getting a sommelier diploma. The barbecue restaurant storyline, on the other hand, was mouth-watering. And as the film progressed, my hunger pangs intensified. And that didn't happen since "Chef".
Well, the film doesn't only consist of scenes in which wine bottles are uncorked and someone trying to identify this divine beverage while gurgling and spitting it out. This Netflix drama is also about the inner conflict Elijah (Mamoudou "Underwater" Athie) struggles with. This determined young man from Memphis, whose daily routine consists of helping out in the family business and working in the local wine store, has to make an all-important decision in his life. Either disappoint his father. Either himself. His father Louis (Courtney B. "Ben is back" Vance) is convinced his son will take over the family business in the future. Just like Louis did from his father. And Elijah is increasingly realizing that the profession of a master sommelier is more dear to him than marinating and barbequing spare ribs.
So "Uncorked" brings the well-known theme about a generation gap. On the one hand, Elijah doesn't want to abandon his father. On the other hand, he's still looking for his aim in life. His heart and soul belongs to the sparkling world of wines. A way to mentally travel to other countries ("When I get a wine from someplace like France, someplace like Spain, I just feel like I'm kinda there."), as a compensation for the lack of this in his youth. The problem is that his father doesn't believe anymore in the person Elijah and sees it as yet another insane idea that his son has. And he shows that by acting indifferent and disinterested. Needless to say, there is, of course, Sylvia (Niecy Nash), the concerned and supportive mother figure who properly convinces her husband to let Elijah work it out of his system. She's the missing link between the two poorly communicating vessels, while she herself has to deal with her own health problem.
"Uncorked" is an average movie. A movie that you'd watch while sitting relaxed on your sofa, with or without a glass of wine within reach. A film with a smile and a tear. The humor is not often present but sometimes subtle. For example, the Somalis debacle elicited a brief chuckle. And all this with a soundtrack filled with contemporary hip-hop music that belongs more to the spare ribs house than to the cultured world of wine connoisseurs. It's a movie you love or dislike, just like with wine. Family values and chasing your dreams are the key topics that I'll remember from this movie. But I can't say that the urge for drinking wine got any bigger after watching this Netflix movie.
Uncorked is now available on Netflix
More reviews here: movie-freak.be
Surprised...
yusufpiskin16 January 2021
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