Review: Uncorked
Like a fine wine, Netflix’s new drama Uncorked only gets better with age. It’s enjoyable on the first watch but it takes some time – a few sips, a few twirls of the glass – to appreciate the film in its entirety.
Uncorked, written and directed by Insecure’s Prentice Penny, is a movie that draws strength from its simplicity. It does not have a crazy climax or a gotcha moment. Its heart carries it all the way through. Uncorked is a solid, enjoyable story about family and chasing your dreams.
The movie follows Elijah, a young, twenty-something African American man working at his family’s barbeque restaurant. Papa’s Kitchen is a neighborhood hot spot and Elijah is destined to take over the business once his parents retire. However, Elijah’s true passion lies in his side hustle, a job at the local wine store.
Elijah’s passion for wine is clear but he cannot find the courage nor the timing to go against the status quo or his father’s expectations. With a supportive push from his promising new flame, Elijah decides to follow his dream of becoming a master sommelier.
Mamoudou Athiei and Courtney B. Vance - Official Uncorked Trailer
He gets accepted into sommelier school, but conflict unfolds when he must juggle an intense curriculum with his duty to the family business. Financial struggles, a tense relationship with his father and his mother’s battle with cancer prove to be formative obstacles on Elijah’s journey to his sommelier degree as well as his personal identity.
Nothing in Uncorked’s script is all too surprising. The ending is sweet and satisfying but easily predictable. It is the vibrancy of the world Penny creates that gives the film a rich taste. A colorful cast of characters, slick dialogue and the beautiful background of Nashville, Tennessee elevate a standard storyline into something worthwhile.
Mamoudou Athiei wins you over instantaneously with his lovable dorkiness. In the movie’s first scene, Elijah helps Tanya, played by Sasha Compère, select a bottle of wine. He tries to impress her by comparing each of the wines to some of her favorite hip-hop artists. Watching Elijah compare white wines to Drake, Jay Z and Kanye West was the perfect example of Penny’s fun writing, Athiei’s down to earth acting and Elijah and Tanya’s undeniable chemistry.
Gil Ozeri and Matt McGorry are great comic relief as two of Elijah’s sommelier classmates. However, McGorry should try and steer clear of the lovable but privileged jerk. As a viewer, it is getting tiresome. Compère is a breath of fresh air as the loyal, good hearted girlfriend and I wish she was in more of the movie than she was.
Niecy Nash - Official Uncorked Trailer
Niecy Nash is unsurprisingly the standout as Elijah’s mother. Nash is the black, female Midas – every role she plays turns to gold. She is so warm, lovable and present. She oozes a familiarity with her costars that makes you feel at home as a viewer. Her vibrant Sylvia is the perfect bridge between the timid Elijah and the stubborn Louis, played by Courtney B. Vance.
It is because of Sylvia’s crucial role in the family’s dynamic that she must suffer the heartbreaking fate of cancer. Nash plays it so well. She never lets one ray of Sylvia’s sunshine get shut out by the slow burn of her illness. Her sickness propels the film into its final act and sets the stage for Uncorked’s true story – one of a father and son.
Vance and Athie’s dynamic as Louis and Elijah imitates a lot of relationships between a parent and child with generational differences. Louis’ love for his son is apparent but it falls within specific guidelines of familial responsibility. Elijah’s love for his family holds him back from chasing his passion head on.
A lot of viewers will be able to relate to these characters. Louis watched his father build a successful restaurant from the ground up in a time where success for black people was not always guaranteed. By building a lucrative barbeque joint, Louis’ father also built their family a legacy. It is a legacy Louis felt obligated to be a part of and he cannot understand why Elijah would not want to do the same.
Parents generally put a ton of pressure on their children, but parents of color add a completely different layer. They hail from a generation where opportunities were slim. Finding success was the exception not the rule. If you found something successful, you should stick with it.
Louis wants Elijah to take over the restaurant because he wants to give his son a more streamlined path to success. He just wants his son to be successful and does not believe wine can guarantee that. Louis, like some parents, forgets that it was his hard work that is allowing Elijah to branch out and forge a different path.
Mamoudou Athiei - Official Uncorked Trailer
Elijah becoming a sommelier is not disrespecting his family’s legacy but helping it extend far beyond Papa’s Kitchen. It is not in spite of Louis but because of him that Elijah is able to pursue his goals rather than fall back into something safe.
The most beautiful part of the movie is Elijah and Louis learning that respect for each other and knowing that despite everything that happened, there is nothing but love between them.
Uncorked is a captivating if simple look into what we owe our families and what we owe to ourselves. It is about recognizing the hard work of the people before you but remembering that their hard work was meant to give you more opportunities and a chance to live your dreams. Uncorked is now streaming on Netflix.