58
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonSan Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonA film so rich and pleasurable you’d be forgiven if you thought about it each time you have a glass of red.
- 80Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternWall Street JournalJoe MorgensternStill, the family dynamics work out beautifully, and Jean’s return also leads to a deeply affecting revelation of his father’s feelings for him. As far as winemaking is concerned, Back to Burgundy is rich in vistas of the fabled côtes; stuffed with oenophile info (who knew how directly de-stemming affects a wine’s structure?) and studded with casual tastings of wines that most of us can only dream of. A 1990 Pommard? A 1995 Meursault Perrières?
- 75RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyRogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyWhen the film focuses on the wine-making process, in the progression from vine to bottle, it's a fascinating and detailed look at a very specific subculture.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijThe Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijThis story of sibling camaraderie and familial strife at a Burgundy winery unfolds against the backdrop of reliably picturesque views, with its bouquet of largely familiar elements presented with a modern finish.
- 50Slant MagazineWes GreeneSlant MagazineWes GreeneCédric Klapisch correlates wine’s complex arrangement of flavors to the complexity of memory itself, which, it should be said, is the most nuanced of the filmmaker’s wine metaphors.
- 40The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawThe characters at one stage debate the merits of a smooth, fruity wine versus something more taut and acidic: it would be tempting to say that Klapisch goes too predictably for the first option, but the problems here are more with structure than taste.
- 40Total FilmSimon KinnearTotal FilmSimon KinnearIt’s more of a table wine – inoffensive, middlebrow and, like the scenes of grape harvesting here, hard work.
- 40The New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe New York TimesBen KenigsbergMr. Klapisch lingers his camera lovingly over shots of grapes being harvested and stomped, all the while employing story mechanics and flashbacks indelicate enough to suggest the churn of a factory juicer.
- 30Village VoiceSimon AbramsVillage VoiceSimon AbramsThere doesn’t seem to be a romantic-comedy cliché missing from the bland French domestic Back to Burgundy, a wholly contrived post-adolescent coming-of-age yarn.