SOMM (2012) User Reviews (22)

Better than black currant

[ferguson-6 · 6/10 · 26 May 2014]

Greetings again from the darkness. Alexander Payne's 2004 hit Sideways made wine tasting and discussion a fun thing to do with friends, and U.S. wine tours exploded. In the movie, Miles (Paul Giamatti) is quite knowledgeable and opinionated on wine. However, comparing Miles to the real life characters in the Somm documentary is like comparing the boys of The Sandlot to major leaguers ... it's not even close!

Filmmaker Jason Wise follows four guys as they prepare for the nearly impossible to pass Master Sommelier exam. The certification has been around for 40 plus years, and less than 200 applicants have actually passed. We get to know the four who are studying so diligently by watching them interact and even talk to the camera. The competitive nature is on full display through the trash-talking and emotions that are evident through each disagreement. Mostly we witness the enormous stress that comes from working so hard for a single shot ... the best comparison I can make is that of an Olympic athlete preparing for their single event.

We also meet Fred Dame, the Godfather of U.S. Master Sommelier. He trains through intimidation and seems to carry the burden of exclusivity in every interaction. Yeah, he's kind of jerk. As are the four vying for the certification. It seems one must be self-absorbed and borderline ego-maniacal to build the knowledge and fine tune the palate necessary to have a shot.

The exam is broken into 3 parts: Blind wine tasting, Theory, and Service. The wine tasting segments are most fun to watch as we quickly learn there is a skill, a science and some luck involved. Through a sniff and a sip, they must be able to identify the type of wine, the subtle flavors, the age of the wine, the country of origin, the specific region, and even the level of winery. The theory section involves knowing wine history from all over the globe. This is accomplished through endless hours of reading and flash card drills. The Service portion gets the short straw here, but we do get a taste of the outlandish nature of a game whose point seems to be humiliating the participant.

To add another touch of legend, we do get some insight from Bo Barrett, the legendary California wine maker profiled in the movie Bottle Shock. Mostly though, we learn that this most prestigious designation can only be obtained through an elitist Obsessive-Compulsive approach that kills all sense of acceptable societal manner. For most of us, enjoying a glass of wine with friends is reward enough ... for you others, best of luck learning the 3000 grape varietals in Italy alone.

Somm, or how to turn a wonderful art and cultural achievement into a soulless competition

[manuatimdb · 6/10 · 23 August 2014]

Wine is one of the most beautiful things in the world, combining history, culture,art, nature and tradition. It is made in order for people to have more joy in their lives. At least thats the attitude most wine drinkers in the old world countries have towards wine. Unfortunately, since countries like Great Britain and the United States never had such an old wine tradition like for instance counties like Italy or France, some people over there got everything wrong and because of their incapacity of feeling and respecting wine like they should do, they started to build an "elite" community, called master sommeliers. The only purpose of this "elite" community is to use wine as a subject of some kind of completely soulless competition. The result is shown in its full cruelty in this film. Teachers (Master Sommeliers) as well as students (Master Sommelier candidates) are doing their best to let wine seem like a cardio machine in a fitness studio. Culture is something these people have never understood and will never understand. For real wine lovers who know what wine is made for, with at least little glimpse of cultural background, education and, above all, heart, this film is hardly bearable.

Very engaging

[debbeechhome · 8/10 · 18 June 2013]

I didn't really expect to like a movie about wine geeks, but this movie really pulled me into the process that the four lead characters were going through to become members of the very elite master sommelier group. Less than 200 people worldwide have this certification. Jason, Dustin, Brian and Dlynn all had very different approaches to exam, with different strengths and weaknesses. I found all the lead characters extremely likable and you could not help but root for all of them to pass the exam. I thought the cinematography was good. I particularly liked the use of the wine glass as a segue between scenes. The movie did drag a little in some of the exam preparation scenes.

Not just for Wine Geeks

[stutch · 1 July 2013]

I love wine. I like to think I know wine. But I also know I do not know all that much. There's too much to know. When I go to the places where these guys work, I trust them to help me get things right. That's what they do, its beautiful and it is absolutely an art.

These guys chasing the MS designation...THEY know a LOT about wines. More than any one else in the world. Seriously. They have to, just to be invited, even if they don't pass the test. Its brutal.

If you have sat for the Bar or the CFA or something similar, then the tale told here will ring very true. Its the same sort of obsessive all consuming effort required to get prepared.

The film gets very close to conveying what it takes and the methods used to even get to the testing table. And the Fraternity of the participants is absolutely one of the greatest messages that comes out. Its competitive but not in the 'I win you lose' sense. If you can raise yourself to the highest level of expertise in the world then you have a chance of passing. These guys are great.

There's a couple of slow moments but overall this keeps moving by portraying the toll on relationships and the character of all concerned.

Now I cannot judge whether a non-wine person would find it as emotionally immersive as someone that knows just what the hell they are talking about. The fluency and speed of interaction may all pass as a blur that gets boring after the tenth time, I dunno. But for me and the others in the theater, we were rooting for the contestants and making choices of winners and losers. Undoubtedly at some point I will look up at the Somm and it will be one of the guys in this movie.

If you want to know the outcome, you'll have to go cuz I ain't spoiling it here!

Good wine movie, wishing for better music

[alceinwdld · 7/10 · 1 July 2013]

Compelling look at the dedication needed to pass one of the hardest exams in the world. Each of the candidates featured in the movie had interesting personality quirks that kept my interest... I found myself rooting for all of them, knowing the odds were against them.

This documentary will likely appeal to wine lovers, but perhaps also those who are curious about wine or appreciate obsessions. This documentary reminded me of Kings of Pastry- a similar look at an exam that requires full obsession and dedication. Although not about an exam, the sushi documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi had a similar feel.

The constant background music during dialogue/ emotional high points was very distracting, enough to dock it a point or two.

Some good wine comment among the testosterone-fuelled wine bravado of sommelier candidates

[rghnaish · 6/10 · 17 March 2018]

Some good wine comment among the testosterone-fuelled wine bravado of sommelier candidates. It seems the only quality these candidates feel they need is to talk fast and with confidence - rule is just name any flavour that comes to your mind. So the aim is to convince the customer in the restaurant that you know exactly what you're talking about. And of course we know that the customer is always satisfied if they have been convinced by a sommelier that the wine they are having is wonderful and well worth the price. Consumer psychology 101.

I like a documentary that is able to take on a seemingly dull topic and yet keep your interest throughout.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 16 January 2015]

This documentary film is about several guys who are pursuing their certification as Master Sommoliers. While this sounds terrifically boring, it really isn't for many reasons. First, it's an incredibly difficult thing to actually achieve and very few folks on this planet are this knowledgeable, tenacious and talented to earn this. Second, the film makers manage to spin this all in an interesting way that makes you actually care about these oenophiles and their seemingly insane quest to be the best of the best. By the end of the film, my daughter and I actually found ourselves pulling for some of the participants and rooting for them...and in one case, rooting against them. All in all, an exciting film about what might sound like a very dull topic.

Even if you don't like wine, you will love SOMM

[fansynancy · 10/10 · 29 January 2013]

SOMM tells the story of a group of young men working towards earning the prestigious title Master Sommelier. This is among the most difficult series of exams to pass in the world. Incredibly, the candidate must blind taste wine and identify its type region and vintage as part of the test. The people who choose to pursue this are an interesting and varied group. In the end, it's about wine, but It is also the tale of friendship, teamwork and perseverance. The pressure of the upcoming exam is palpable, weighing on relationships. We waited in line for two hours to see this film at the Napa Valley Film Festival. We were so gad we did. It was fabulous!

Get Somm

[langreed · 7/10 · 11 June 2013]

I was fortunate to see this movie at the Napa Valley Film Festival Premiere this past spring. It is a story of four wine professionals working to gain the title of Master Sommelier through a process of practical tasting regimes and intense study. Often times at the lose of much in their own personal lives and relationships.Very well done in extracting the dedication,frustration and sheer work that these fellows put in to achieve their goal. One does not have to be a wine lover to feel the 'pain' and revel at the success that each of them experience at some point throughout the process. I cannot wait for it to come into general release to see it again. Kudos to all involved.

What would pair well with my ......

[rpduffy861 · 10/10 · 10 July 2013]

I don't write a lot of reviews but I sure watch a lot of movies and documentaries. What interested me at first was the name, "Somm" - I had to go look up what a "sommelier" did because I don't frequent many places where they might be working. Anyway, without spoiling anything I was laughing, crying, in shock (in one part of the film), and educated. It's one of those films that make you believe you too can achieve anything you want in life if you really believe in yourself and put your best foot forward. I'd like to see a follow-up film on their lives now and how they've changed. If you are at home, grab a bottle of your favorite vino and pull up a seat --- it's on Demand now or catch this one where it's playing in your city. 10 out of 10!

A clear-headed approach to wine appreciation

[john32935 · 7/10 · 20 January 2015]

Somm mainly focuses on 4 people who are preparing to take the certification test as a Master Sommelier, the highest level of achievement for a wine professional.

For a person like me who can barely tell the difference between any two wines (whether red or white and even then I rely on eyesight rather than smell or taste), watching Somm seemed like it could be a waste of time. I get that some people take their wine very seriously, but watching the movie trailer I knew that these test candidates took themselves too seriously as well. For example, one candidate states that he has cried 3 times in his life: when his parents died, when his children were born, and when he passed this exam. Another candidate says, "Nothing else in my life has ever been this difficult." Well, I suspect that people sitting for the bar exam, the medical boards, and a few other objectively difficult tests would laugh with me at the tension expressed by the subjects here prior to this test. Not to say the test is easy (I would fail miserably), but it clearly is not nearly the life-or-death situation as the test-takers convey.

That being said, this documentary is well shot and edited; the leads are likable and engaging; the accompanying music is wonderful; the attempts to convey the tension felt studying for and taking this exam are effective even if a little exaggerated; and the narration educates non-connoisseurs (like me) just enough without condescension. So if you like documentaries that meet these criteria, you will like this one.

Amazing film

[valeriestrowski · 10/10 · 30 January 2013]

Somm is one of my favorite movies I've ever seen. An amazing film taking you into the world of becoming a Sommelier.. it's truly fascinating. The director Jason Wise did an excellent job taking you on this incredible journey. It keeps your interest from the first second until the very end.. giving you laughs and tears and so much more. Movies like this are rare, where they teach you something amazing while keeping you entertained the whole way through. These characters are developed throughout the movie so perfectly, you get attached to them and I continued to follow up with their stories months after seeing the film. Highly recommend this movie to everyone!

Inadvertently useful.

[michaeljpfitzgerald · 2/10 · 11 June 2016]

This movie, without a whiff of irony, lets you in to see the world of the incredibly privileged 'master sommelier' - focusing mostly on three dudes with no jobs, lots of familial financial support, and perversely, no apparent love of wine, as they navigate the stunningly complex, utterly gated certification course that will ensure they are rich to the end of their days...as it was that they started.

This is useful to see, I think, because it should let you dismiss, in your own life, some of the anxiety we all have about buying wine, drinking wine, and what we all feel we are expected to know about wine. The documentary has no soul, no joy, nothing that wine is or provides - it is deeply infatuated with itself, in much the same way its subjects are, and I think you should avoid it.

I gave it one star for the awful perspective, and one star for finding so many garish ways to break wine glasses in slow motion - which is a nonsensical and constantly recurring motif.

Documenting nonsense

[rhyzome1 · 4 March 2015]

Double-blind tastings have as much relevance to real, hands- on restaurant work as the Zodiac does to Astronomy.

What you have, rather, is a trade-show paper- chase that's been cooked up by the pretentiously self-qualified to scam money from the slightly less agile.

Suffice it to mention, moreover, that the 'masters' title has absolutely nothing to do with certification from an accredited college or university.

Real masters, from academia, are given by juries of PhD's to acknowledge mastery over a subject of which they, as individuals, have made a contribution to knowledge. Therefore, I challenge any judge of said 'court' to present qualifications that would demonstrate any contribution on their part. to the knowledge of wine.

'Proper' cigar service, perhaps, expressed as their own opinion of propriety? 'Proper' chilling of whites--ostensibly with far greater reference to Oscar Wilde than Van der Walls? Or how about yet another uselessly digressive, non-chemical explanation of 'tannins'?

Lastly, of course, the use of 'Court' speaks volumes about their collective idiocy. How do they support their right to hold court, or to judge, as it were? Where, pray tell, is there a public textbook that's made available for scrutiny much as, say, physics, chemistry, history, or whatever that's taught over at Dustbunny U?

Without reference to said text that's available for all to see, this self-entitled 'court' ranks nothing higher than podunk inquisitional circa AD1200--or rather a Humpty-Dumpty manifesto that states that things mean exactly what I say they mean at the time that I say it".

So much for restaurant 'professionalism': next, perhaps, chiropractics?

Bill Harris

Somm is a stellar documentary about the fascinating world of sommeliers.

[greg-e-porter · 9/10 · 31 August 2015]

A sommelier is an expert of wine. Sommeliers assist restaurants in wine selections and wine pairings. There are several levels of official sommeliers with the highest rank being the Master. In the decades that the test has been around, only a couple hundred people have passed around the world. Somm is a documentary that follows a group of guys as they complete their year of preparation for the exam to become Master Sommeliers.

Somm does a wonderful job of balancing the magnitude of the test (by establishing its difficulty and significance) as well as the emotional impact of the test. We come to feel (not just understand) how hard people study for the test and the stress it creates. Each of the students are presented in such a way that you root for them all. Initially, I thought Ian came across as abrasive and obnoxious but by the end, I was rooting for him just as much as I was rooting for everyone else.

The test itself is broken into three sections: a theory test, a serving test, and a blind tasting. You can't focus on all three sections, so which one do you choose? Before watching this movie, that's a question that never would've occurred to me but I think Somm nails it. I read a comment somewhere that the film doesn't really emphasize the importance of the serving portion. I agree but I have a potential idea as to why.

The Theory portion requires an extensive knowledge of wine. One must know the names of countless wineries and regions, historical details, and details about the creation of wine. It is however, a test. Everyone knows what tests are like and nobody likes 'em. The rigorous study for this part is the main vehicle for coming to relate to the characters, but the theory element itself isn't emphasized.

Unless you've worked in the service or food industry, the Service portion of the exam probably won't mean much to you. We do get to see one practice test where a couple master sommeliers pose as difficult customers. "We want something between a red and a white that goes with our fish," orders the customer, "but we want it cold. Ice cold." The hopeful trainee gives a selection suggestion, must handle the realization that he doesn't have that particular wine, then must quickly chill the wine. This one scene is sufficient to capture the name of the service portion of the test.

In the Tasting portion, the examinees are given three reds and three whites. They have to smell and taste each and name-say everything there is to be said about them: the alcohol level, the sweetness, the fruits and flavors incorporated into the wine, the region if not the winery, and a potential year.

The Tasting portion is a major point of interest in the film and it's a brilliant decision. We all know wine. Many of us, I think it's fair to say, enjoy wine. The image of a person who can taste a wine and provide incite into the elixir is one of character and class.

I can tell you a red from a white. As a slight aside, we got a bottle of five-dollar wine one night instead of the normal Three-Buck Chuck from Trader Joe's. We decided that Three-Buck Chuck is just bad (but you know, you'll have that for three dollars) and the five-dollar wine was still bad but at least it tasted like wine. It gave us the feeling that somewhere out there exists wine that actually tastes good. I'm practically a sommelier!

Anyway, with this basis, the film is able to build from a subject to which we can all (in varying levels) relate.

There was one point, however, where the film slipped a bit. During a practice tasting, the one person said a Chardonnay was some other type of white wine. The point of the scene was emphasis how he was cracking under pressure but the simplicity of his error almost undermined the difficulty of the test.

If he said a wine from Nepal was from California or a region with completely different style of wine, it would be accomplishing the same task. It would show that he was cracking while maintaining the difficulty of the test. How can this guy be an expert if can't tell a Chardonnay from a categorically different wine?

That said it was a very brief scene that didn't detract from the film all that much. Somm manages to navigate an esoteric subject in a compelling way. It is a beautifully crafted documentary that I highly recommend.

Wine- Let's have a Glass

[DuffyShort · 10/10 · 16 December 2015]

This show has a tremendous amount to convey about the wine industry. Its follow up on Television is called Uncorked. Both push the Sommelier job title into the same stratosphere that had been reserved for chefs. Sideways made wine tasting and discussion an acceptable pastime. Winery tours are must do side trips. In Sideways, Miles is pretentious and opinionated on wine. These people are what Miles wants to be. The movie includes Bo Barrett, the son of a legendary California wine maker at Château Montelena, in the movie Bottle Shock. I was fortunate to see SOMM before attending the Introductory Level course of the Guild. These guys and gals really are good. The tests are very difficult. And when they finally pass they get paid handsomely....and they deserve to be....

Shedding a new light on an old topic!

[charlescb · 10/10 · 5 September 2013]

I often find (being a Sommelier myself) that very little is known about the world in which we live. Our lives are dictated by wine and everything that we do revolves around wine. It really is bordering on a slight hint of a mad obsession.... but its what we do.

This film for me shows Sommeliers in their true colours and is slowly starting to break down the barrier within a restaurant environment to show that we are actually really knowledgeable people and we do know what we are doing and that people need to start listening to us and trusting us.

Going through the Court of Master Sommeliers is no easy feet and requires years and years of intense studying, training and perseverance. Anybody with an experience of university of something similar could have tiny fraction of an idea of what commitment is actually involved in this.

Overall, I reckon its amazing and I hope that more and more people will come to see and enjoy it as much as I did.

A Reality TV Show Pretending to Be a Documentary

[lordahl · 4/10 · 8 July 2013]

This is really one of the worst documentaries I have seen in a while. It has the feel of a 30-minute reality TV show about four guys who have to take a test, but stretched out to two hours.

Generally speaking, a documentary should do one of two things (or both): (1) expand a person's knowledge of a subject; and/or (2) create a bond between the viewer and the subject so as to convey some sort of overriding message.

This film does none of that. It's four guys studying a lot, and then interviews with their wives and S/O's.

The film does not even begin to educate viewers about wine, wine provenance, or wine tasting. Despite devoting what seems like endless periods of time showing the four guys studying up on wine geography, for example, the film does not provide the viewer a brief explanation of the major areas in world where wine grapes are grown.

Similarly, we are exposed to dozens of shots of tasting sessions where the somm's use all kinds of technical jargon to describe wine -- and not once does the film attempt to convey to the watcher what any of it means.

Being a bit of a wine enthusiast, I picked up some of the meaning. But as a documentary? This thing is terrible. It's four guys who work in the wine industry and love wine who study for a big test. If they fail the test? They take it again next year.

By the end of the film, the viewer does not care about the guys, the test, or anything else. When I studied for the bar exam, I did not video record myself doing so because it lacked any sort of entertainment value. One wonders why the same restraint was not exhibited by the filmmakers here.

Where The Decanter is More Interesting than The Wine

[ManoNimat · 3/10 · 19 August 2014]

I have an acutely ambivalent reaction to this attempted documentary. I am more-than-average interested in the topic of wine, but SOMM instead treats the subject of 4 guys preparing to take an exam to become 'master sommeliers'. So, to my disappointment, the film really wasn't about wine at all, rather a reality-show style video of 4 fairly obnoxious, unlikeable, uninteresting guys, full of themselves, and also full of obnoxious 'frat bro' bravado, reciting wine attributes like a mantra and spitting into a bucket. They manage to take the consumption of wine, which should be an act of immense pleasure and sensation, and degrade it into little more than a circle-jerk weenie-measuring contest. If one of these clowns unctuously showed up at my table to offer 'advice', I would totally ignore and wave him away. And these guys are almost sympathetic in comparison to the men in the film who already ARE 'master sommeliers'. If anything, this film demystifies the credential, and exposes it as little more than a hazing ritual, conferring a title of dubious value and dubious legitimacy. I like good wine, and I'm certainly open to learning more and experiencing something new, but I would want no part of what any of these jerks are selling.

3 stars out of 10 for some pretty filmography, and a nice original soundtrack. I appreciate the filmmaker's intention here, but the content mostly fails. It's like having a decanter full of wine, where the decanter is more interesting than the wine.

Pathetic

[MacacoBanditi · 1/10 · 29 April 2016]

A so-called documentary about four guys who are preparing for the "Master Sommelier" exam. Never mind that we are never told who the organization behind this contest is, or who bestowed upon them the honor of conferring such a dubious distinction. But we are told that you are supposed to completely dominate not only wine tasting, but also five different languages, spirits, cigars, geography, history, climatology, geology and whatnot to pass this exam. Unfortunately all the main characters seem to miss the mark completely, none of them have the demeanor of someone who has been born and raised in a very cultured environment, speaking multiple languages. In fact, they look that they only learned what the capital of Slovenia is just to impress and top their peers. Honestly, it's just a bunch of bros dating bimbos (inexplicably they interview their wives too) whose only goal in life is to be the best at something. Wine is completely irrelevant, they could be talking about sports or any other topic, the only real driver behind it all is competition. Imagine a Master Bach Listener title and a test where you have to identify the piece, the ensemble playing it and provide details about the harmony, composition and sonority. All in 10 seconds. That is how stupid this whole endeavor is. At the end of the day I'm not sure the filmmakers are taking this seriously or it is all just to mock this contest and the participants. Not A SINGLE person appearing in this movie (except for Bo Barrett) is likable, appealing or really impresses us with their understanding of wine. They are a bunch of soulless, superficial, pathologically competitive a*holes fighting about a title no one in the world really cares about nor takes seriously. If you have a minimal appreciation for wine, this movie is downright offensive, so please avoid like the plague.

wine tasting as boring as i thought it was.

[dwuksta · 4/10 · 15 September 2013]

Bunch of young guys try to become Sommeliers, who are experts in wine, said to be one of the hardest exams to pass. I didn't really learn any interesting facts about wine. It was really just guys sitting around offering their best descriptions of the wine they were tasting, doing a bit of study, getting annoyed, bit more study, mock exams, whinging. We never really became connected with the participants, or came to know much about them at all, except that they wanted to pass this test. I was intrigued by how they were able to correctly identify some of the wine, but it was never really explored how they do it. I assume from drinking a lot of wine from all over the world. I mean...how does one become interested in this??? Not answered. How is it done??? Not answered. How many varieties of wine are there??? They did say there only 147 qualified in the world, so that was one interesting fact. I did feel sympathetic to the guys and the amount of pressure they were under, but the whole topic and the characters were vastly unexplored. I wouldn't rush out to catch this.

Interesting film, spoiled by loud, annoying music

[etiennestories · 3/10 · 13 May 2019]

My partner and I really liked this film, but we managed to do so in spite of the background music which was LOUD, Intrusive, and totally ANNOYING. There is such a lot to be said for silence.

Someone should tell that black guy that a full beard is not good grooming.