Wine Country (2019) Netflix/Comedy RT: 103 minutes Rated R (crude sexual content, language, some drug material) Director: Amy Poehler Screenplay: Emily Spivey and Liz Cackowski Music: Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman Cinematography: Tom Magill Release date: May 8, 2019 (US & Netflix) Cast: Rachel Dratch, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Paula Pell, Emily Spivey, Jason Schwartzman, Tina Fey, Cherry Jones, Maya Erskine. Box Office: N/A
Rating: **
The Amy Poehler-directed comedy Wine Country centers on a group of female friends who come together to celebrate a milestone birthday (the big 5-0) of one of their own with a weekend trip to Napa Valley. They’ve been friends for half their lives. They first met when they worked as waitresses as a pizza restaurant. Given their age and the music they listen to, I’m shocked they never once bring up Mystic Pizza, the 1988 female-bonding dramedy (also set among waitresses at a pizza place) that likely inspired this so-so movie starring several alumni of 00s-era SNL. With all the great comedic talent in Wine Country, you’d think it couldn’t possibly miss. Unfortunately, it does.
Poehler, making her directorial debut, stars as Abby, a recently unemployed career woman who puts together a birthday trip for Rebecca (Dratch) despite her wishes to keep things low-key. Joining them are their friends: Naomi (Rudolph), Catherine (Gasteyer), Val (SNL writer Pell) and Jenny (SNL writer Spivey). All of them are dealing with personal problems. Rebecca’s marriage sucks (her husband is inattentive). Naomi is having a health crisis; she’s afraid to call her doctor to get results of a test. Catherine is a total workaholic. She spends more time talking to her smart phone than to her friends. Val, a lesbian, just had knee replacement surgery and feels especially spry. She tries to initiate a relationship with a younger woman, waitress/artist Jade (Erskine, PEN15). Jenny is a pill. She’s depressed, pessimistic and doesn’t want to be on this trip. And what a trip it is. Abby has a full itinerary to which she demands strict adherence.
That’s really all there is to Wine Country in terms of plot. Other characters, like Tammy (Fey), the gruff but wise owner of the house they’re renting for the weekend, drift in and out of the picture. We also meet a cranky tarot card reader called Lady Sunshine (Jones, 24). The only significant male character is Devon (Schwartzman, Rushmore), the chef/chauffeur that “comes with the house”. He does little else than drive them around and cook a paella that never seems to be done. Oh yeah, he has sex with Abby too. Other than that, he’s repeatedly told to shut up and stay quiet. Do I sense an anti-male agenda here? Or am I reading too much into Wine Country?
I can count the times I laughed at Wine Country on one finger. There’s a funny bit involving Jade’s art exhibit. Its theme is a popular 90s sitcom. It leads to the movie’s best line, a play on the main character’s name. The line made me laugh. The rest of the time I toggled between mild amusement and mild-plus annoyance. Poehler’s character got on my nerves as did a few others. Vacations are supposed to be fun, but none of the trippers seem to be having any. I realize that’s the point of Wine Country, but does that mean the movie has to be a drag too? It doesn’t have to.
My dislike of Wine Country could be that it’s a movie for women. It could be argued that, as a man, I don’t get “female issues”. Okay, fair point. Let me approach it this way. I doubt I’d like Wine Country if it featured men instead of women. Sure, it would be a completely different movie. In all likelihood, it would turn into an overgrown frat boy-type comedy with men guzzling beer, talking dirty, playing dumb pranks and chasing women too young for them. It would probably star Adam Sandler and his usual gang of idiots. Some guys might like that movie; I’m not one of them. That is, unless it turned out to be legit funny like Road Trip or Blockers. All I’m saying is that gender doesn’t play into my opinion of Wine Country. I simply don’t like it very much.
The 70s/80s/90s infused soundtrack isn’t too bad. Among the vintage tunes you’ll hear in Wine Country are “Magic” (Olivia Newton-John), “Kids in America” (Kim Wilde), “We’re All Alone” (Rita Coolidge), “Falling” (LeBlanc and Carr) and, one I hate, “Poison” (Bell Biv DeVoe). The female leads sing Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U” over the end credits. I actually liked that. BTW, this is the second Amy Poehler movie to reference Xanadu (the first was 2015’s Sisters). Do you think she likes that movie?
I have no doubt Poehler is capable of making a decent comedy. She’s a funny lady. It’s a shame Wine Country didn’t turn out better. Maybe there was too relaxed an attitude on the set. The lead actresses are friends in real life. Perhaps Wine Country is nothing more than an excuse for them to work together again after SNL? In which case, maybe I’m being too hard on it. But the truth is still the truth regardless. I couldn’t get into Wine Country. It’s okay, but it’s nothing I need to see again.
