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Wine Country




I look back at this movie and I just have to ask myself, what was the point? It's not really about anything, no real plot, just a bunch of middle-aged women walking aimlessly around wine country cracking inside jokes and sometimes making some self discoveries. It's a film that seems safe, lacking more than soft chuckles and ultimately feels more or less pointless. Which is a shame because this is Amy Poehler's first directorial effort. She does nothing flashy with the camera and I felt like this film could have been done by anyone.

Abby decides to celebrate her friends 50th birthday with an all-out girls weekend, this is in an effort to ignore the fact that she was recently fired. The girls all have a good time, until their own insecurities and baggage bring down the festivities.

Having a career on SNL helps you make connections and Poehler leans heavily on her friends to make the funny happen. Five out of the seven cast members are former SNL players. Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, Maya Rudolph, Ana Gasteyer and of course Poehler herself, all lend a helping hand to get some laughs. They all obviously have great chemistry and comedic timing. The other two ladies; Paula Pell & Emily Spivey have a connection to SNL as well, they were staff writers. So everyone is just a big happy loving family here. Pell actually gets the most laughs in the film, so it was a welcomed surprise to see someone fresh get the best material.

Wine Country is a film that you can miss. The laughs are very few and far between and the film offers very little of entertainment value. If you want to connect and enjoy the ladies on their someone conflict filled weekend, then by all means enjoy.