Uncorked
UNCORKED - NETFLIX
There are many reasons to avoid NETFLIX’s Uncorked. A meandering script, a by-the-numbers premise done to death, poor comic relief in the form of Gil Ozeri, a heavily misplaced soundtrack, inconsistent lighting and an editing style that completely ruins the otherwise great cinematography. The list goes long when considering all the cinematic transgressions committed by this feature, any aspiring filmmaker or a critical watcher should avoid it all cost. With that being said, Uncorked is wonderful.
After scolding the film for all its technical failures, the tag wonderful might seem counter-intuitive and baffling to many, but there is a great reason behind such a statement. There are charming and relaxing qualities the feature carries, making it a perfect watch for an affectionate and meditative viewing, a quality that in all sense of logic and human reasoning: should not be possible.
The film is a grounded story pertaining to the contrast between the dreams of a child against the wishes of a parent. Containing themes of death and failure; its characters face real-life financial and psychological troubles and not to mention, there are constant subtexts regarding racial upstanding. Comforting and relaxing should be the last of its qualities one would think about. These elements are at the forefront of its production and If such remedies were an intentional move or an unintentional one, it is hard to decipher from the given presentation, but nevertheless the engaging effect remains the same.
For context, a scene at a family dinner table created to showcase the dwindling relationship between the characters of Mamoudou Athie and Courtney B. Vance. What ends up happening to the viewer’s emotions is entirely different from what the filmmakers had hoped. The takeaway from such a scene is an emotional rift created between individuals due to contrasting plans, but the resultant effect is that the viewer feels invited and accepted to the family.
The atmosphere among the chit-chatting of the extras, the jokes made by the character of JT played by Bernard D. Jones, the striking noises of forks and spoon, and the comforting voice of Sylvia played by Niecy Nash, it all makes the viewer feel comfortable like they themselves are at the dinner table. Eighty percent of them never speak a line or appear again onscreen for the entirety of the film, yet they are impactful. The effect ironically is a downside for the film due to it failing to create an emotional establishment towards the conversation on screen that the viewer was supposed to be focusing on, but that dialogue becomes tertiary to all the happiness they feel sitting among this family.
The same effects carry over throughout the film, where the main focus is on the emotional dilemma that the film concentrates on. Instead, the viewer gets immersed in the background and/or foreground qualities whose existence was not supposed to be more than that of a prop. The only aspect of the film that ever serves its purpose is the connection that the viewer feels to the character of Sylvia. However. that connection is due to the comforting relaxation that the viewer feels around her and not because of any emotional relations she has with the two main characters.
An even greater inspection into such qualities would only yield half the answers. One might say such relaxation is due to fabulous cinematography or score, or even some mixture of both. However, the cinematography is completely ruined by the editing and the soundtrack is dreadful. The performance Niecy Nash can be attributed as a solution to such an enigma, but it shatters when one considers that the performances by Mamoudou Athie and Courtney B. Vance, in all intent and purposes, have more comprehensive range and nuance, yet the viewer does not seem to care much about them. If such feelings are niche or universal is yet to be seen, but it is a lingering feeling nonetheless which makes it hard to categorize Uncorked into any spectrum relating quality of good or bad.
UNCORKED is streaming exclusively on NETFLIX