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Mondovino
Metascore
67 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 26 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
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  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    83
    The highest praise I can give to Mondovino is that it makes you want to sample every vintage it shows you.
  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kevin Crust
    80
    An entertaining film that is neither stuffy nor pretentious.
  3. Variety
    Reviewed by: David Rooney
    80
    Consistently fascinating material provides an uncommonly eloquent, provocative statement against globalization that's sure to stimulate thinking audiences.
  4. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Rosenbaum
    80
    This cagey and compelling 2004 documentary looks at the world of wine, but it's actually a nuanced, provocative piece of journalism about globalization and its discontents.
  5. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    75
    If "Sideways" made you curious about vino, this fierce, funny and challenging doc opens up a world worth debating.
  6. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    75
    Despite its visual restlessness and its dogs, Mondovino is a fascinating film.
  7. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    75
    It's such a knowledgeable work and so pleasantly obsessed with its subject that it will interest even audiences whose attraction to wine is only casual.
  8. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    75
    The real subject, though, is how globalization fosters a homogeneous, "same-old-stuff" conformity that molds almost everything on the planet into an ever-shrinking number of shapes, sizes, and varieties.
  9. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    75
    An intoxicating attack on the homogenization of wines around the world - a "Fahrenheit 9/11" for the oneophile set.
  10. Premiere
    Reviewed by: Aaron Hillis
    75
    The film's ambitiously eye-opening hypothesis, colorful characters, genuine compassion, and unexpected humor will make for a great vintage in years to come.
  11. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Jennie Punter
    75
    A sprawling personal journey, filled with an array of fascinating characters, through the world of wine.
  12. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    75
    It's nonetheless a fascinating, thirst-inspiring, thought-provoking journey. Just one request for the lengthier version: fewer shots of dogs' swimsuit areas, please.
  13. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: William Arnold
    75
    There's no question where filmmaker Jonathan Nossiter's sympathy lies, but he makes his case leisurely, without hysteria and with much playful screen time devoted to the various interviewees' pet dogs.
  14. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Duane Byrge
    70
    An insightful and affectionate glimpse into the behind-the-scenes struggles of modern-day winemaking.
  15. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    70
    Hugely entertaining, globe-trotting documentary.
  16. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Brendan Bernhard
    70
    Will get you thinking about wine, and what is and isn't important about it.
  17. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Scott Tobias
    70
    For all its pervasive irritations and lack of discipline, succeeds in using below-the-belt tactics to get its message across, especially for those unschooled in the rarified world of oenophilia.
  18. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    70
    Nossiter has an eye for stray details and a knack for relaxing his subjects- although the scene with the naked guy trampling his own grapes may make you sorry that you ever gave up drinking Ripple.
  19. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Ann Hornaday
    70
    A lively, engrossing documentary
  20. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jack Mathews
    63
    If you have a serious interest in wine and the ­patience for this kind of rangy, undisciplined filmmaking, you'll learn something. But you'll have more fun at a winetasting.
  21. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    63
    The movie feels incomplete and uncentered. It's like a grand magazine profile that's all reportage and absolutely no prose.
  22. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    60
    Smart, sincere and sloppy film.
  23. The New Republic
    Reviewed by: Stanley Kauffmann
    60
    Mondovino is repetitious. The version that is being shown here runs 131 minutes and would be more effective with about twenty minutes of condensation.
  24. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Ruthe Stein
    50
    Overly long and not especially enlightening film.
  25. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Scott Vogel
    50
    A picnic wine, if you will -- more conversation-starter than collector's item.
  26. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Kimberley Jones
    40
    As is, it's simply too much information crammed too haphazardly into a running time that at times borders on interminable.
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User Reviews

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User Score
7.6 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. FlavioV.
    10
    I love the elegance and sincerity in showing people being seduced by the forces of marketing and power. Or being rejecting it. In both cases it is beautiful to have de courage to evolve or to conserve tradition. Mondovino is about seduction. The dog scene is great.… Full Review »
  2. Helena
    5
    Introduces some interesting questions in a fascinating topic but does not do much with them. I agree with Geoff -the cameraman needs a tripod. And what is with all the dog shots? Annoying. Overall this movie was a missed opportunity to tackle some interesting issues in the world of wine with depth and intelligence.… Full Review »
  3. GeoffS.
    6
    The man needs a tripod. The unnecessary camera movement of panning, zooming, then panning again takes away from the worthy subject matter. And, that's a shame. Perhaps this jerkiness was mean to give the film a sense of raw, unpolished edginess - but we just saw it on a cinema screen and found it simply irritating.… Full Review »
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