Another Netflix review from Odette , this one gets my vote as well
So now that we are officially in lockdown, I am hoping to do more of these. Given that we aren’t allowed to go anywhere or see anyone, I thought: what better way to start the lockdown reviews than watching a bunch of people go on holiday together?
Wine Country (2019)
Basic plot: A group of girlfriends who have known each other for decades go away for a weekend in wine country to celebrate one of the friends’ 50th birthday.
How it was (probably) pitched to the producers: Imagine a movie about a group of friends going on adventures – except instead of endless energy and a tolerance for trance music, they have likable personalities.
Thoughts: Look, I will be honest upfront: I friggin loved this movie.
The characters are relatable women with anxieties and insecurities and ultimately, very believable as a group of old friends because they are so weird and delightfully uncool together.
I particularly related to their inability to relate to anyone younger than them, because same.
My favourite scene – minor spoiler, by the way – is where they come home after dinner and change into PJs immediately, and then they go around in a circle listing all the chronic medication they’re taking.
Also, instead of “That’s what she said” they have something called “Things we say now”, and it is brilliant and I am using it for all the old-lady things I say all the time now.
Bottom line: If you are over 25 and you know what it’s like to have a shared history with a group of your friends, odds are you will find something in here that appeals to you. All the characters seem familiar, and you might well see yourself in at least one.
(If you are under 25, I’m sure you can still enjoy it; it is just refreshing to see a movie about female friendship that doesn’t mostly take place in a drug-fuelled haze in a fancy club in Europe – I’m looking at you Ibiza.)
Will the man in your life like it?
Sorry, this one is for the ladies.
Watch Wine Country if you like:
- Movies about women that actually seem to be written by women (or someone who has actually met a woman)
- Humour that doesn’t make you cringe with embarrassment
- Drinking wine without knowing a lot about wine
- Amy Poehler, Tina Fey and Maya Rudolph
