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."

Very few movies stay with me, but from the opening scene, I knew this one would be with me. From the very first scene complete with appropriate background music, I knew this movie would be something special. It is not so much that this movie teaches a lesson about introspection and what should be appreciated, it is how the movie does it without pronouncements and without the customary selling points that we expect to see in modern movies (i.e, gratuitous sex or murder scenes). The character of Uncle Cullen is terrific and brings everything together. As soon as I finished the movie, I wanted to watch it all over again and have everyone else see it. I'm not sure how it struck other people, but for anyone who has ever wondered about what he/she does from day to day and why it is so important, this is essential viewing.

The main characters in this movie can't seem to let go. Of their ambitions, their sorrows, or their perceptions of the way life should unfold. They all seem to be hung up on bygone expectations, missing out on potential happiness because they can't, or won't, be where they are while they're there. They are looking for a life that they don't yet realize they don't need, or want. The main character has abandoned his dreams a long time ago, as most in this film have to some degree, and is selfishly attempting to raise the money to buy an abandoned manganese mine. His uncle tries (in a way reminiscent of Andy Griffith) to force him to see what is right in front of his face. This movie has a dream like feel and it is hard to understand at first if you are not used to accents. One should not expect this movie to be action packed, but it is a heartwarming tale of a group of people trying to find their way through life, only to find it is not the epic and tragic journey they had once expected.

First of all I must admit that I am a great admirer of Rufus Sewell. That was the main reason I couldn't hardly contain myself when this was finally released in the U.S. as Uncorked. I would not however, be so biased as not to include Nigel Hawthorne in this comment.The story was cute, I must say a little girlie, but definitely not like every other movie. Nigel Hawthorne as Uncle Cullen was probably my favorite part of the movie. His ability to be completely impossible to all the other characters, with out making him any less likable was amazing. Of course all the performances were great, his just really stood out.My favorite part of the entire movie though, was within the first five minutes. It was an exchange between the characters Mr. Tan and Ross regarding a straw. It sounds a little strange, but that just cracked me the heck up.Overall I would just like to say that the wait for it to come to the U.S. was totally worth it, and I would recommend it to anyone.