Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Good concept, poorly executed.

good back-story, and good acting

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

This show has a tremendous amount to convey about the wine industry. Its follow up on Television is called Uncorked. Both push the Sommelier job title into the same stratosphere that had been reserved for chefs. Sideways made wine tasting and discussion an acceptable pastime. Winery tours are must do side trips. In Sideways, Miles is pretentious and opinionated on wine. These people are what Miles wants to be. The movie includes Bo Barrett, the son of a legendary California wine maker at Château Montelena, in the movie Bottle Shock. I was fortunate to see SOMM before attending the Introductory Level course of the Guild. These guys and gals really are good. The tests are very difficult. And when they finally pass they get paid handsomely....and they deserve to be....

Somm mainly focuses on 4 people who are preparing to take the certification test as a Master Sommelier, the highest level of achievement for a wine professional.For a person like me who can barely tell the difference between any two wines (whether red or white and even then I rely on eyesight rather than smell or taste), watching Somm seemed like it could be a waste of time. I get that some people take their wine very seriously, but watching the movie trailer I knew that these test candidates took themselves too seriously as well. For example, one candidate states that he has cried 3 times in his life: when his parents died, when his children were born, and when he passed this exam. Another candidate says, "Nothing else in my life has ever been this difficult." Well, I suspect that people sitting for the bar exam, the medical boards, and a few other objectively difficult tests would laugh with me at the tension expressed by the subjects here prior to this test. Not to say the test is easy (I would fail miserably), but it clearly is not nearly the life-or-death situation as the test-takers convey.That being said, this documentary is well shot and edited; the leads are likable and engaging; the accompanying music is wonderful; the attempts to convey the tension felt studying for and taking this exam are effective even if a little exaggerated; and the narration educates non-connoisseurs (like me) just enough without condescension. So if you like documentaries that meet these criteria, you will like this one.

I love wine. I like to think I know wine. But I also know I do not know all that much. There's too much to know. When I go to the places where these guys work, I trust them to help me get things right. That's what they do, its beautiful and it is absolutely an art. These guys chasing the MS designation...THEY know a LOT about wines. More than any one else in the world. Seriously. They have to, just to be invited, even if they don't pass the test. Its brutal. If you have sat for the Bar or the CFA or something similar, then the tale told here will ring very true. Its the same sort of obsessive all consuming effort required to get prepared.The film gets very close to conveying what it takes and the methods used to even get to the testing table. And the Fraternity of the participants is absolutely one of the greatest messages that comes out. Its competitive but not in the 'I win you lose' sense. If you can raise yourself to the highest level of expertise in the world then you have a chance of passing. These guys are great.There's a couple of slow moments but overall this keeps moving by portraying the toll on relationships and the character of all concerned.Now I cannot judge whether a non-wine person would find it as emotionally immersive as someone that knows just what the hell they are talking about. The fluency and speed of interaction may all pass as a blur that gets boring after the tenth time, I dunno. But for me and the others in the theater, we were rooting for the contestants and making choices of winners and losers. Undoubtedly at some point I will look up at the Somm and it will be one of the guys in this movie.If you want to know the outcome, you'll have to go cuz I ain't spoiling it here!

SOMM tells the story of a group of young men working towards earning the prestigious title Master Sommelier. This is among the most difficult series of exams to pass in the world. Incredibly, the candidate must blind taste wine and identify its type region and vintage as part of the test. The people who choose to pursue this are an interesting and varied group. In the end, it's about wine, but It is also the tale of friendship, teamwork and perseverance. The pressure of the upcoming exam is palpable, weighing on relationships. We waited in line for two hours to see this film at the Napa Valley Film Festival. We were so gad we did. It was fabulous!