User reviews

I thought this was a sweet movie. You know just because there's little turmoil, no violence or vendetta or indeed any deep message doesn't mean it's lame. On the contrary foe heaven sake lighten up and enjoy the Italian ambience if nothing else!

Heartfelt and sometimes funny; "From The Vine" finds Joe Pantoliano in fine form but it's premise leaves you thirsty for more.

In this comedy-drama, a man with an ethical crisis travels back to his hometown in rural Italy to revive his grandfather's vineyard.

An overall cute family dramedy, but "From The Vine" doesn't always hit the mark you'd expect. Although Pantoliano really shines in this role, he is seemingly loveable and always manages to put a smile on your face. Beautiful landscapes and what seems to be savoury wine, this film will make you thirsty but will leave you wanting more out of the characters and storyline.

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A US executive (Joe Pantoliano) moves to Italy to reopen his grandfathers vineyard.

I liked Russell Crowe's "A Good Year" and thought this would be equally charming and engaging but this is really a poor imitation.

Weak plot, poorly executed and not even the beautiful Italian language and landscape can save this one.

It is hard to understand where those few very negative reviews came from. This is a nice, if unspectacular, movie about a 60-something man, very successful, who decides to jump out of the corporate rat race and reconnect with his roots in Italy.

Joe Pantoliano, who was so good as the villain in 'The Matrix', is Marco Gentile (pronounced genn-TEE-lay). One day he just quits work and buys two tickets to Italy. His wife is totally blindsided and stays home but Marco looks up his deceased grandfather's estate. The vineyards are mostly neglected and one winemaker produces a small amount each year.

This movie is about Marco rejuvenating his life and in the process his family relationships too. This is not a deep movie, the rigors of getting workers, tending to a vineyard and making excellent wine are treated superficially. However it is a nice, heartwarming, entertaining story.

I found it streaming on Amazon Prime.

It's a nice fun film and reminded me of where my dad is from. However it's completely unrealistic that so many people in that little remote Italian town understand and speak English. Very unlikely.

6.9 stars.

Take an overworked Italian-American man with a really great family and he somehow goes through a midlife crisis transformation of some kind and the final rendering is confusing. The theme does not quite come across the way I'd like.

This film has many wonderful ideas and life lessons for those of us who have good fortune and the opportunity to make really bad decisions because we are rich. Obviously this is a wealthy family who throws around money like it's nothing and there are many unanswered questions about how and why they are where they are in life. He is an extremely successful and intelligent man, but the writer doesn't focus enough on his good qualities. The family is fantastic and you can see they have a great relationship with a variety of appealing interactions, yet they don't tap into this aspect enough either. The film is too focused on a confused man interacting with a bunch of poor people who live uninteresting lives somewhere in the countryside in Italy.

The story is pretty basic, a man goes to Italy where he grew up, still speaks Italian fairly well, at least understands it well, speaks it poorly, yet it seems his wife speaks it somewhat, not sure how that worked out. The Italian people he grew up with were fun, but the movie is lopsided. It really makes little sense to be honest. I'm not sure what they intended, maybe they had too much on the plate, maybe this could have been a mini-series, 4 episodes, add some extra drama, maybe a side romance or something, and let us see the wine business come to fruition a bit more...

Story line null. Acting uninspired. Dialog insipid with phony accents. Just plain boring. Hard to believe the producers couldn't see this slow moving train wreck.

Knock off Good Year with really bad Canadian everyone's happy attitude. Bad acting...predictable story...very poor dramaturgy Waste of money and time.

I watched this film with my mom and we both really enjoyed, which is impressive in its own way since its hard for us to find a film we both love.

The narrative was relatable, cohesive and with just the right amount of romantic flair. Some of the shots in the film were so aesthetically beautiful, it made me wish I could be there in person. Wendy Crewson and Paula Brancati gave great performances as well, bringing a lot of depth to their characters and played well off one another in their shared scenes. Aside from the beautiful script and breathtaking cinematography, the film taught me things about Acerenza and the wine-making process that wouldn't of even crossed my mind (i.e the candle in the cellar). It's almost like a small documentary was tucked into the film, and I can appreciate when a film has so many layers to it.

The best part of the film for me was that it was so relatable. In today's world where our work lives have been disrupted by current events... It was nice to watch a film that told you "It's okay to start over. Work and money isn't all that life has to offer.".. which is a really beautiful kind of message that people, myself included, need right now. It's just such a feel good film.

The 3 minute trailer portrayed a movie about a corporate lawyer who swaps the cut throat board room for the vineyards of Italy.

The trailer was perhaps the cut of the movie that should be been put forward as a short.

Movies such as The Hundred Foot Journey (with Helen Mirren) or A Good Year (with Russell Crowe) are not everyone's cup of tea and it felt From the Vine was aiming for these but got lost in the script, more lost during the filming and that there wasn't enough to piece together a movie that worked.

After the first 10mins the movie gets lost and it then becomes a mashup of scenes that don't feel connected to any story.

Maybe the lead (Marco) was having a breakdown the viewers are not privy too and the Alley McBeal daydreaming scenes were his making sense of what happened during the opening scenes were he fluffs a presentation that we later get shown?

Who knows but the daydreaming was 1990's childlike in its execution and after 25mins I couldn't watch anymore.

Imagine someone settling down for a long winter's evening with a jug of Gallo wine. He watches - because he's with his significant other - the Ridley Scott/Russell Crowe movie *A Good Year* on cable. (She wanted it. No guy would actually choose to watch that movie.) At some point, it is interrupted by some of the old Gallo wine commercials from the 1960s that used to show idealized Italian weddings at which there was much laughter and much wine served.

From such an evening must have been born the cliche-ridden script for this movie.

The problem, of course, is that we don't have Russell Crowe here in front of the camera, or Ridley Scott behind it. And the script is often awful.

This movie really has nothing to recommend it. Even the shots of the countryside, which were among the best things in A Good Year, are unremarkable here.

It sounds like a good idea, but it isn't. Skip it.

Has to be the most boring thing I've ever seen. The relationships were so unbelievable, the acting so cardboard and the direction incredibly amateurish I felt forced to warn anyone who may feel the need to waste approximately 90 minutes of their life on this. Sorry.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film. It had just the right balance of whimsy and realism. The scenes of Italy were just beautiful and will make you want to at least visit an Italian vineyard. The acting, the dialog were fine, no complaints. Not every film has to be a masterpiece. I just want to enjoy what I watch and this one had me smiling all the way through.

This cuts so many corners in the storytelling that it's impossible to generate any interest in the outcome. Characters are flat stereotypes. The surrealist effects stick out as aberrations. Wanted to enjoy it, but the direction and/or editing stripped this of any narrative momentum.

2019's simple romantic dramedy "From The Vine" relies exclusively on rural Italy's natural charm, beauty & 'dolce vita' - which is immense, but not enough to carry a whole movie alone. Tired of Canadian corporate life late-50s Joe Pantoliano returns to his late grandpa's house in his Southern Italy birth-town... whose vineyard he aims to re-open (with locals like Marco Leonardi & Franco Lo Presti) to the costernation of wife Wendy Crewson & daughter Paula Brancati (best performance here). Almost light enough to be on Hallmark, it DOES have ample charm but attenzione: this is NOT Italy's "Jean De Florette". Solo per those desperate for a taste of bell'Italia. Allora, e basta.

For a person like me who typically doesn't watch films such as this, I was completely amazed at how much From The Vine affected me in a positive way.

I watched this film knowing only that it was related to wine and it was set in Italy. As I was watching, I quickly found out that its not only about wine and the beauty of Italy, its about finding your true self, the importance of family and that having money and success isn't the most important thing in life, leaving you to appreciate what you have and who you have around you.

Through the great storyline, the perfectly timed comedic elements, the beautiful cinematography, the wonderful direction and the amazing performances from Joe Pantoliano, Marco Leonardi, Paula Brancati, Wendy Crewson and so many other amazing actors in the film, From The Vine draws you in right away and takes you on a beautiful journey that will leave you smiling by the end credits.

From The Vine, was a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting this film to bring so much joy and lift up my mood, especially in times like this. The beautiful landscapes and on top of that the brilliant performance by Joe Pantoliano, my main reason to watch this film, really brings a whole different atmosphere to this film.

Through brilliant pacing, acting, director and, cinematography this film manages to immerse you in its world and with that make you care about its characters and take you on a beautiful journey of hardship and perseverance.

I just watched the most delightful movie I've seen in quite some time: 'From the Vine (2019)'. It's set mostly in Acerenza Italy, and is absolutely wonderful in every way! The cast is nearly 100% Italian for authenticity, and the scenery is just what you'd expect. Mostly though, this movie captures the essence of small town Italian personalities in a very entertaining manner, and a joy to behold!

From the Vine was a great experience for me, as an immigrant from South Western europe, the locales of the small Italian town reminded me of my childhood in an endearing way. The way that the townsfolk behave compared to the way Joe Pantoliano's character perceives his environment draws a great contrast and emphasizes on that distinction between the locals and the local who has become a stranger and returned back to their home a changed man.

On the more technical side, the film is admirable to say the least. The warm colour pallette evokes a true feeling of calmness and of pleasure in existence. The small Italian town that hosts most of the films scenes appears to be an oasis in the desert of modern living. Through color light and shadow, the cinematographer gives the town the ability to become one more character in the story.

I recommend the film to people of all ages and i would encourage families to watch it together with their loved ones. This story of dreams and of "reverse Immigration" is sure to leave you with a smile on your face and a curiousity to explore your family's lineage.

This movie was delightful.

No it isn't necessarily brilliant film; but what is these days?

The story is warm and the acting is convincing.

There are some lovely unexpected touches of animation that add humor and fun.

I stumbled upon this movie by accident and only chose it because of actor Joe Pantoliano. I wanted to see another movie that shows his range. (I recently watched "Feast of Seven Fishes" and liked his role in that movie too.)

I also enjoy a movie where there is a little to the imagination. A little romance-not the near soft-core porn that passes as "romance" these days. I thought the back story was helpful and that the characters were engaging and I appreciated the quirkiness in some parts of this movie. I won't give it away, you will need to pay attention. ;-) it's a nice, light, easy going movie.

I will definitely watch this again as the cinematography is beautiful as is the language. I felt connected to this movie and discovered later it is approximately two hours from where my own nonno is from.

From the Vine is a wonderful time filler movie and a good choice for a few moments of dreaming. At its core, very much like A Good Year, is that our choices have far reaching consequences. Is it worthy of an Oscar? Nope. Is it worthy of a Razzie either? Absolutely not. It does however offer a good message.