I really like Alan Rickman and Freddy Rodriguez, so it is no surprise that I liked this movie. Rodriguez does an excellent portrayal of Gustavo, the overlooked genius of a hispanic viticulturist who suffers in anonymity in the mainly white world of vineyard ownership. Come to think of it, this is the same role he played in Six Feet Under except as a mortician. So overlooked is Gustavo that he must make a couple of speeches to get his point across. I guess I don't mind speeches if I agree with them, but a truly excellent film would have made the point without the speech. I also am enthralled with the many overviews of vineyards. I like the order, the rows, the dust, the dirt, the fruit. Perhaps it reminds me of the rows and rows of corn that I just left in Guatemala, and couldn't get enough of. These long shots were beautifully filmed and pretty much made the film. And Alan Rickman, of course. "You don't like me because you think I am an arse. I'm not, I just British". It doesn't get any better than this. Overall, to really like this film, you need to either really like wine, or have a piece of farmer in you. Since the latter is true for me...
4-stars
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