Vino Veritas (2013)

Powerful

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

What an intelligent, unusual film. Unusual in its simplicity; the setting is basically one room, yet the dialog is so strong that my wife and I found it riveting just about from the start. The writing and direction are strong throughout. All four characters are believable and interesting in their differences. I believe they had fun performing this, because I had fun watching. The film grabbed me as soon as the guests arrived. Even the opening scene is interesting; domestic bliss easily cast aside when a typical argument comes out of nowhere. Real life, real conversation. This is a film that stays with you long after you have seen it. My wife asked several times as we viewed it at home (with wine, of course) "who wrote this"?! She and I were both impressed and told our family and friends to check it out. Vino Veritas deserves wide distribution. Enjoy!

I've watched a lot of movies in my day and I have to say that this movie is stellar! Just a great movie with a beautiful message. The acting is superb and the screen writing was excellent. This movie relied purely on the acting which is rare in American cinema these days. If you truly enjoy films with a great message and brilliant acting then THIS IS IT! These types of films are rarity. Unfortunately, this movie probably won't get nominated for anything at the Academy Awards which shows that the AW is nothing more than a fashion show and a popularity contest. If the AW was truly focused on superb acting that didn't rely on special effects and millions of dollars spent making everyone look perfect then this movie would certainly be nominated.It starts slow so give it a little bit of time because it will not disappoint! :D

An interesting exercise - saw this via Netflix at the recommendation of a friend. Wasn't disappointed, but mildly frustrated - a LOT of topics, some thoughtfully explored, a few touched upon & quickly dropped, with some outstanding work by skilled actors, and mostly tight, efficient direction. The suburban setting was letter perfect for the premise: two couples meet before a Halloween party, drink some "magic" blue wine, and get down to exploring truths. Their common ground initially is their focus on their children, whom we never see; misperceptions & frustrated hopes for their kids are uncovered and confronted. We also get believable, if somewhat rushed, glances at 9/11, atheism, suburban hypocrisy, career and money anxieties, etc - modern life.All four actors were excellent. Preston & White were the more vividly written couple; Preston had several chances to do her patented 'zany' characterization (see "The Good Wife"), and White was quite believable as an ambitious & somewhat oblivious MD. Interestingly, in a discussion of 9/11, bias d/t his ethnicity was only glancingly touched upon, an opportunity for deeper exploration unexplored. Rather, real and imagined sexual peccadilloes of both are mined.Raffo & Hutchison are less exotic, but the eventual history of their relationship is more heartfelt; they also seem to have a visible sexual chemistry not evident in the other couple. Raffo is touching in a somewhat underwritten role as a restless and disappointed mate to a man who, vaguely, is no longer as ... "exciting" as when they were married. Hutchison quite convincingly portrays a charming, somewhat goofy suburban dad who reveals unexpected depths; his reaction when he and Raffo discuss losing a child is immensely moving, and that discussion give the film a center it needs. Both he and Raffo deserve wider exposure.Less successful were the extraneous 'hooks' evidently meant to power the screenplay. The blue wine of truth was unnecessary - high-proof vodka would have done as well; 'roofies' (rohypnol) as an 'antidote' was just silly. Being an atheist or agnostic is not really so dumbfounding, right? The Halloween costumes were interesting, but extraneous; the trope of "two couples settling in for an evening of drinking and verbal jousting" is tried & true for a reason - it works, & doesn't need a lot of explication. Overall, an 8 - because I stayed interested until the end, and the acting was excellent.

Just saw this at a private viewing. Alternately emotionally intense and hilarious! You laugh and gasp as you watch it, and leave with a bug in your head that keeps you thinking - what is really important in life? Totally new take on the "suburban middle class"; it peels off the artificial veneer of suburban life. Everyone who sees this should leave thinking differently about their public lives and relationships versus their inner selves, and wonder how they veered so far off course! Viewers should be alerted that this movie touches upon almost every controversial issue our society currently faces and so contains adult material, language, and references to religion that may not be acceptable to all - but that's all the more reason to see it!