Mamoudou Athie plays Elijah, a man who works at his family's local barbecue restaurant in Tennessee as well at a wine store. He loves wine, as evidenced by the way he recommends it to a novice who enters his shop looking for a bottle of wine: when he asks her what kind, she says, "a good one?" which leads to a delightful interlude where he explains the different kinds of wine to her by comparing them to hip-hop artists. Elijah is torn between his desire to follow his passion and his father's expectation that he will take over the family restaurant. That is certainly a classic trope - personal ambition versus familial obligation - but nothing about this movie feels forced or hackneyed. Instead, it's a warm and surprising movie about how hard it can be to figure out what your dreams are, and then the cost of pursuing them.
Two things make this movie stand out: the cast, and the script. Elijah's mother and father (Sylvia and Louis) are played by Niecy Nash and Courtney B. Vance, and they are the ultimate power couple. Sylvia is all about supporting her son and encouraging him with this "Somalia" thing (No, mom, it has nothing to do with Africa, I want to be a "sommelier"). Louis is dismissive, assuming this is yet another flight of fancy his millennial son has taken up. The script is full of sly jokes and a lot of heart, with little one-liners and asides that make each character feel fully realized. Everyone has a little backstory, some quirk or family drama that is driving their decisions, and as the movie progresses, it is delicious to watch the story come alive with all these different notes. It's a deeply human story and resonates in this time when we are all yearning for more connection.
Uncorked is also emphatically a movie about wine. It seems clear to me that Prentice Penny must be a wine connoisseur on the verge of being a master sommelier himself because there is so much love in every shot of a glass of wine being poured, swirled, and sipped. But this is alongside a great story about a working-class man pursuing what is decidedly considered an upper-class passion. There are so many hurdles in Elijah's way, whether they be personal, familial, or socioeconomic, but ultimately, this is a story about a man who has found the thing he is meant to be doing with his life. During this quarantine, may we all be so lucky to have such epiphanies. And if not, at least we can forget our cares for a few hours and watch this charming movie.
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