Netflix's 'Wine Country' relies on a stellar cast to tell a formulaic story

In her directorial debut Wine Country, Amy Poehler gathers some of her talented Saturday Night Live buddies to conjure up a fun movie set in Napa Valley. The entire cast is a goldmine of comedy — Maya Rudolph, Ana Gasteyer, Rachel Dratch, Paula Pell, Emily Spivey (who co-wrote the script), and even Tina Fey shows up from time to time. 

You’d expect a film with these ladies to be cackling with humor and heart but sadly, Wine Country falls short of both to quite an extent. 

There are still times you’ll laugh out loud; Poehler’s direction is remarkable because she sets the scene well, and you’ll definitely want to guzzle wine after (or during to maybe enjoy it more). That’s about it. 

Wine Country’s biggest flaw is that it’s predictable. It's just another conventional story about a girls weekend trip gone wrong (and then right again post-confrontations). 

A group of friends decide to spend a weekend in Napa to celebrate Rebecca’s (Dratch) 50th birthday but she’s not the one excited about it; it’s her pal Abby. Poehler plays Abby as a low-key Leslie Knope but it works. She’s a divorcee who directs her pent up organizational skills into planning the weekend minutely. 

The rest of the group comes with baggage of their own. Naomi (Rudolph) is a tired mom with a secret, Catherine (Gasteyer) has a demanding job and thinks she’s not wanted here, Val (Pell) spends her time trying to get together with a millennial waitress they met named Jade (played by Pen15’s Maya Erskine), and Jenny (Spivey) would rather just chill at home, which, relatable. Tina Fey’s Tammy pops up when needed because the ladies are spending their weekend at her AirBnB-style home. 

From here on, the group attempts to keep up with Abby’s precise schedule while coming to terms with their issues — individual and the ones they have with each other but this happens at their own slow pace. 

The problem with this slow-build narrative is that the audience has been aware of the characters’ circumstances for a while now. It’s not easy waiting for them to catch up in between jokes and interactions that just don’t land. You’re just waiting for that one major outburst to happen as the group struggles to air their grievances, patch things up, and move on. 

As great as their chemistry is, for some reason it’s hard to buy their closeness as friends in a movie that literally depends on it. The ladies think they’re bonded for life because they worked at a pizzeria several years ago. Despite their apparent strong friendship, they hide pivotal life truths and opinions from each other. No one likes Rebecca’s idler husband Brian but says nothing to her for all these years?

The only reason a movie like Wine Country would work is because of the cast. They take a subpar script and turn it around to make it downright enjoyable for the one and only time you'll watch it. 

Everyone is excellent in their own way but Rudolph is a scene-stealer for the most part. Her physical comedy skills have been well-documented over the years so it’s no surprise she brings that side of her. But she also shines in the mellow, more emotional scenes (much like she did in last year’s Forever). 

Image: courtesy of netlfix

Poehler gets a stand-out scene which she shares with Jason Schwartman by delivering the most exquisite deadpan of all time. You'll know it when you see it. Pell and Spivey are wonderful but they’re put on the back burner. It’s bound to happen in a cast this vast. 

Wine Country's stumbling block is that everyone involved has delivered better projects. Besides their own popular and award-winning TV shows, Poehler and Fey embraced the chaos in their 2015 movie Sisters. 

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Co-writers Spivey and Liz Cackowski have written marvelous things for Last Man on Earth and the short-lived Up All Night (which starred Rudolph).

So it might not meet the high creative expectations that were previously set, but it's a perfect movie for a weekend with no plans, lots of wine, and a few friends to laugh with. It won't surprise you but it won't fully disappoint you either. Just think of it as the temperate "house wine" presented by your regular and reliable bar. 

Wine Country is now streaming on Netflix. 

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