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.
Elijah
Louis
Sylvia
Harvard
Tanya
Richie
Brenda
JT
Leann
Albert Bichot Worker
French Sommelier (voice)
Melanie
Master Sommelier #3
Teacher #4
Guy
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.
Elijah
Louis
Sylvia
Harvard
Tanya
Richie
Brenda
JT
Leann
Albert Bichot Worker
French Sommelier (voice)
Melanie
Master Sommelier #3
Teacher #4
Guy
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.