Perfect cast and a good story

Just what I expected

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

A remarkable film, rich with wisdom, humor and a benevolent outlook on life. It has been my favorite movie for years, I've watched it countless times, I've never outgrown it, and I never cease to find new beauty in it.THE THEME: What role does philosophy play in the life of man? THE PLOT-THEME: "Can a man sitting on a pillar be relevant to the world in which he lives?" THE PLOT (without spoilers): A young man struggles to figure out what he wants to do with his life. Everything he attempts ends in failure. When he decides to sell the most valuable asset he owns and invest the proceeds in his craziest idea yet, a quirky (deceptively illogical) chain of events is initiated by his uncle, to help his nephew find the road to happiness.Edmond Rostand wrote "Cyrano de Bergerac" in his early thirties; Huddles wrote and brought to life "Uncorked." (Or "Higher Love" as it was called in Europe; or "At Satchem Farm" as he originally titled it.) The only sadness I feel when I watch this movie comes from realizing that we live in a culture that didn't award an Oscar (several of them) to this achievement. I hope Mr Huddles stumbles on this review. I wanted to say, "Thank you for seeing me through moments of doubt and sadness over many years."

I think it's strange when they give a movie two completely different titles. Rufus Sewell and Minnnie Driver star in a movie called "Uncorked," but on Sewell's filmology it is called, "At Sachem Farm." This is the second time a movie made by Sewell has been called by another title. This will mess people's minds up! Anyway, "Uncorked" is delightfully fun and well worth the watch. It teaches a valuable lesson in that "game" called life. Everyone gives an incredible performance. The main lesson is that it's so easy to lose your perspective on your life, but sometimes a person needs to swallow his/her pride and trust in family to help himself/herself out. Like Barbara once sang, "People who need people are the luckiest people in the world!! I know, it's corny, but true.

This movie falls into that group of initially obnoxious "coming of age" films that has numerous characters that have either zero understanding of what their life can offer them, or they have come to a complete understanding with the universe, and are happily content, but unwilling to offer the serious smack to the head that the others require. It takes a while to get anywhere, especially with the two main characters both completely blind to everything around them that isn't squarely in their plans for themselves. Naturally, for the viewer, it quickly becomes obvious that they are squandering great potentials, but the joy of this movies is in the journey, not the destination.Character development is the key here, not a grouping of pre-designed archetypes that are ready to hand you their life story and purpose in one single bit of dialogue. Especially noteworthy is the quirky uncle that seems hell-bent upon destroying anything of monetary value, but actually has himself firmly set upon his path to spiritual enlightenment. The siblings that are each trying to figure themselves out are equally good, although the viewer is generally ready to scream at them by the movie's midpoint.The bottom line is that this is not a casual movie to pick up when you don't have other plans, and are looking for "anything". Be prepared to pay attention to it and enjoy the entire movie, not just the beginning and the end. It demands that you follow the characters in just as befuddled a state as they seem to be, until you reach the end, and recognize the true genius of the trip.

This film is a masterpiece of... production design. The sets, the clothes, the lighting, everything is so perfect that it feels like a dream, or possibly a TV ad for really expensive scotch. The direction and editing are irregular at best (and pretty bad at worst). The acting is mostly mediocre (with the exception of Nigel Hawthorne, who is perfect as always), although part of that boils down to the script and the editing. The story is predictable and uninspired.This is one of those movies that you keep hoping will get better, but never does. And it's annoying to see good actors, good sets and a good crew wasted on such a poor story, and then further butchered by senseless editing.