Wine Country
Netflix
Collectively, I think we all needed this movie a lot more than this movie needed us. At this time I don’t think I have to point out that the world is a dumpster fire of epic proportions, out of control and about to send a spark into a dynamite factory. The women of SNL past came together to write, direct, and star in this ensemble comedy about long time female friendship at an older age. Starting from a place of resignation and desperation the story wends through the fates of these wonderful characters, constantly moving between moments of dark comedy, slapstick, and gross out humor. Beautiful, beneficial, and medicinal in many respects, Wine County is everything good melded into one.
The roll call of all the immensely talented women that worked on this film is impressive: Amy Poehler, Ana Gasteyer, Tina Fey, Emily Spivey, Paula Pell, Rachel Dratch, Maya Rudolph, Liz Cackowski, Cherry Jones, and Maya Erskine all star in this film, and several also wrote the screenplay. Almost all from Saturday Night Live, and all gut-bustingly funny, this ensemble of amazing comedians based all of their humor in the realities of our country, what age does to us, and what it takes to remain friends twenty some years on. The main theme of the film would be honesty, and at some point in the film every character gets there’s. The problems vary between working too much, losing work, being in a bad marriage, being sick, being bored etc. These issues are much harder to combat in modern times, because we’re also battling things like climate change, racism, misogyny, and global annihilation, which are also all highlighted.
The cast is insanely talented; each of them balancing nuanced depictions of women in their late forties and early fifties. I cannot truly tell whether this film is couched in drama or comedy, because their performances never veer too far in either direction. There’s a certain element of absurdity, but for the most part this is a tender and bittersweet story that tugs the heart strings. Poehler is excellent in her directorial debut, and I am beyond excited to see what she does next.
The only part of the script that doesn’t feel 100% cohesive is its constant need to include annoying side characters, like the winery employees and Jason Schwartzman’s strange house boy persona. Maya Erskine, of recent PEN15 fame, was the only millennial character that felt true to life. There’s an entire sequence in an art gallery where they berate the younger kids that felt beyond tired and condescending. I know this was made by older women, but I don’t understand the need to foster hostility to its younger viewers who are probably this film’s primary viewers.
This film constantly addresses the need to be open, to engage in self-care, and to value friendship over everything else. There’s no huge climax that lends to a cascade of epiphany and honesty. These characters often find something out about themselves or their fellow friends in a constant stream throughout the film, which is refreshing. Constant honesty is a seriously difficult attribute in today’s world, when depression and suicide are at an all-time high and the fight to keep fascism at bay is always ongoing. Somehow scriptwriters Liz Cackowski and Emily Spivey created a story that not only engaged with that thought process but felt cathartic at the same time. Even with its faults I am extremely happy to have anything that feels like a relief.
