Amy Poehler’s feature directorial debut, Netflix comedy “Wine Country,” not only reunites her with fellow “SNL” alumnae and friends such as Tina Fey and Maya Rudolph, it focuses on a group of women over the age of 40 heading to Napa for a 50th birthday celebration. Considering that most on-screen narratives about middle-aged women concern grief and heartbreak — and, in last year’s 100 top-grossing films, only 31 percent of female characters were 40 or older — “Wine Country’s” cast and story are noteworthy. But, as Poehler explained in an interview with Vanity Fair, that shouldn’t be the case.
“The women I know in their 40s and 50s are incredibly interesting, funny, accomplished, doing a million things,” Poehler said. “There’s a lot of rich stories to tell there that don’t involve loss or fear of being left.” There are also narratives that don’t feature a mid-life crisis. “[‘Wine Country’s’] not about ladies who can’t act their age,” the “Parks and Rec” actress noted. “A man’s ‘midlife crisis’ is: gets a fancy car, fucks somebody too young for him, has a crazy weekend, and realizes what he’s got. I don’t even know what the female version of that is.”
Written by “SNL” vets Liz Cackowski and Emily Spivey, “Wine Country” stars Poehler, Rudolph, Rachel Dratch, Ana Gasteyer, Paula Pell, and Spivey as the road-tripping girlfriends. Fey also appears as the owner of the house they’re renting. The film is inspired by real-life 5oth birthday outings Poehler and her “SNL” sisters have had over the years. On one occasion, they went to Palm Springs for Gasteyer’s 50th and christened the outing “Muumuu Nitpick” because everyone wore muumuus and vented about their lives. The trip also saw Pell bringing $800 worth of high-quality vibrators as party favors — along with batteries, natch.
Poehler realized that these get-togethers were ripe for comedy — and hit upon an oft-ignored aspect of women’s lives. “There’s just not enough films that take full advantage of what it’s like to be our age and to be around women that have known you for a really long time but aren’t competing for the same job or the same guy,” she said.
Shot over seven weeks in LA and Napa, “Wine Country” hits Netflix May 10. Next, Poehler will direct “Moxie” for the streamer. The pic is about a 16-year-old girl who, after discovering her mother was part of the Riot Grrrl movement in the ’90s, decides to begin her own feminist revolution. Poehler co-created “Russian Doll” alongside Leslye Headland and Natasha Lyonne. The critically acclaimed “Groundhog Day”-esque series sees Lyonne dying and reliving her 36th birthday party over and over again.
