‘The Napa Boys’ Break Down Their Latest (and Only) Adventure

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Get ready for the return of the Napa Boys in their fourth (and first!) film, officially titled The Napa Boys 4: The Sommelier’s Amulet. If you’re unfamiliar with the group, that’s perfectly okay! This comedy, created by Nick Corirossi and Armen Weitzman (who also star in and directed the film), is a loving tribute to a specific kind of movie that’s rarely made anymore. The creators describe it as: what if the movie Sideways had gone on to create a series of direct-to-video sequels, similar to the American Pie Presents films?

It’s true that The Napa Boys takes a strange and unusual approach to storytelling. But considering Hollywood’s current obsession with sequels, remakes, and revisiting anything remotely popular, the film cleverly both honors and pokes fun at a genre that’s largely been overlooked.

The new film follows a group of friends who love wine as they embark on a wine-focused journey, naturally drawing comparisons to the movie Sideways. However, the director, Corirossi, has actually compared it to Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. In an interview with MovieWeb, the director explained this surprising comparison:

The success of any creative work builds on what came before, and ‘Attack of the Clones’ arrived later in the process, with many elements already established. As you pointed out, it served as a blueprint, but I think this new work has a bit more depth and nuance than ‘Attack of the Clones’.

He explained that, similar to George Lucas, they originally had a very detailed plan for all six Napa Boys movies, with the initial script running almost three hours. While they now have the flexibility to film the sequels out of order, they’d already fully developed the storylines for the first three Napa Boys films, as well as the ones that would follow.

Despite the absurdity of it all, Weitzman confirmed there was a method to the madness:

We really focused on creating a believable and relatable world with characters that felt genuine and important. It would have been a mistake to approach the project lightly, as it wouldn’t have respected the story, filmmaking, or the power of cinema itself.

Fresh and Familiar Faces


Magnolia Pictures

The animated series The Napa Boys features many actors who frequently work with creators Corirossi and Weitzman, such as Mike Mitchell, Jamar Neighbors, and Paul Rust. It also includes fun cameos from David Wain, Kevin Smith, and Ray Wise. Corirossi shared how they were able to get a well-known actor like Wise involved, explaining:

We didn’t initially write the character with Ray Wise in mind. But as we were nearing the casting process, I remembered working with him on a Funny or Die project and suggested him for the role. He initially gave us a standard industry response, but ultimately agreed, which I think was partly because he remembered working with me before.

As a big movie fan, I always loved the timing of Jack Wise’s scene, and learning the backstory made it even more special. Apparently, David Lynch had just passed away the day before Wise came to set. We were shooting on a ranch, and there was a Bob’s Big Boy statue nearby. What Wise didn’t know was that the crew had already planned to have a box of doughnuts on the table as a little tribute. It wasn’t lost on him at all – he actually references it in the film! It just felt like all of that emotion really seeped into the scene, and honestly, I think it subtly impacted the whole movie. It’s one of those behind-the-scenes stories that makes you appreciate a film even more.

The filmmakers clearly loved exploring strange and unusual ideas, which was a consistent element throughout the project. As Weitzman explained, getting close to the material – actually reading the script – revealed a genuine emotional core. People might have initially dismissed it as a lighthearted story about two silly characters, but it turned out to be a sincere and heartfelt work.

‘The Napa Boys’ Speak!

Wise wasn’t the only new face among the comedians; Sarah Ramos was also pretty new to the group. Interestingly, her character, Puck, is a fan of the Napa Boys and accidentally gets involved in their newest escapade.

Ramos reflected on how her on-screen journey reflected her actual experience:

I’ve been a long-time fan and have followed their work for years. Actually, Armen once brought Mitch and me together for a funny project – I hope he doesn’t mind me sharing this – that was meant to be a comedy series similar to ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ starring Kate Upton. Mitch and I worked on that together, so we already had a good rapport and understood each other’s sense of humor. I think playing the role of an outsider, someone who’s a bit of a surprise, really helped me fit into the project naturally.

In the movie, Rust and Mitchell play competing winemakers, a role they approached with dedication. We asked how much they studied the now-famous viral video of a woman falling while stomping grapes on a news broadcast to prepare. Mitchell shared, “I can’t speak for Paul, but I watched that video on repeat on all my TVs throughout filming.”

Rust, meanwhile, detailed:

It felt like there was a TV in every room, always playing something. It reminded me of those scenes in 80s and 90s movies where villains had walls covered in TV screens that combined to form one large image – you’d sometimes see similar displays at stores like Kmart. That’s actually how I first saw the video of the ‘Grape Lady’.

A Misunderstood Villain and a Peter Pan


Magnolia Pictures

Squirm, a character from Rust, opposes the Napa Boys, and his personality draws inspiration from classic villains seen in 1980s movies. However, when asked about those influences, Rust explained that he doesn’t view Squirm as a villain at all, stating that an actor shouldn’t label their character that way.

According to Mitchell, there’s a lot more to Squirm than meets the eye, and viewers can learn more by watching Squirm’s Adventures. Ramos added that Squirm is becoming a central character, similar to how the Joker is in Batman.

Mitchell is continuing a surprising career path. He’s previously been part of the IFC show The Birthday Boys and currently co-hosts the food review podcast Doughboys. This raises a funny question: when will people stop seeing him as a ‘boy’ and start seeing him as a ‘man’?

You asked a really thoughtful question, and honestly, it got me thinking. I’m actually hanging out in my mom and sister’s room right now – they’re over at my place helping me with spring cleaning! So, when will I grow up? Probably never, if I have anything to say about it. And you know what? I absolutely love being a boy. I think I have a bit of Peter Pan syndrome, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Rust was confused and asked if the term “Peter Pan Syndrome” had anything to do with Peter Pan peanut butter. Mitchell surprisingly confessed that he actually had to eat an entire jar of the peanut butter every day to feel okay.

The Napa Boys is set to land in theaters on Feb. 27.

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2026-02-26 04:20