‘Wine Country’ nails the girlfriends trip
Comedy emblematic of just about any group of ride-or-die friends reuniting
Ah, the girls’ weekend. Is anything more glorious? Or potentially fraught?
“Wine Country” (in select theaters now in 10 cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas; streaming Friday on Netflix), gets properly sauced on the getaway conceit, gathering a host of hilarious “Saturday Night Live” alums in Napa Valley as they play a group of girlfriends who go waaayyy back.
The comedy, directed by Amy Poehler, has everything: hot-tub heart-to-hearts, tarot card readings, a run-in with viral social scientist Brene Brown and vicious hangovers. Best of all, “Wine Country” is emblematic of just about any group of ride-or-die friends who come together after living apart for awhile, including:
The friend who micromanages everything
Meet Abby (played with Leslie Knope-infused intensity by Poehler), who meticulously plans the Napa getaway, makes the group T-shirts and hyperventilates whenever her friends deviate from her printed itinerary, which Abby casually deems “just sort of an overview of everything we’re going to do minute-by-minute on the trip. No pressure.”
The workaholic friend who always bails
This would be Catherine (Ana Gasteyer), the most successful of the bunch. The restaurateur always talks to her assistant on speakerphone, ducks out of tastings to call her agent and deliberates over a major career development the entire trip. Straight shooter Naomi (Maya Rudolph) does not let this go unnoticed.
The friend whose partner you hate
Rachel Dratch plays Rebecca, whose 50th birthday the gals technically are gathering to celebrate. The unspoken problem is that they all hate her self-absorbed husband. As expected, wine does not help the situation.
The friend who gets too involved with strangers
By the time Val (Paula Pell) is finished with a meal, a car ride or a wine tasting, she’s got the 411 on everyone she encounters. “I really hope that your sister is able to move your mom’s grave,” she says, bidding adieu to her Uber driver at one point.
The friend who packs the hard stuff
When the pajamas come on, Catherine busts out a baggie of Molly, only to be judged by the other women. “Maybe this isn’t that kind of trip?” Abby says carefully. Yet?
The disrupter who ends up in all your group photos
Tina Fey crashes the group getaway as Tammy, the woodsy owner of the Napa compound the gals rent. “You’re just going to have to talk to each other while drinking a ton of wine,” she warns, noting the Wi-Fi is slow.
“What could possibly go wrong? Just remember, guys, whatever gets said, it’s probably what the person has always felt and the alcohol just let it out.”