Sideways is a strange film. At once a wildly hysterical comedy, an honest drama, and a lesson in fine wines, it is unique in a way the vast majority of modern films only dream of being. Miles (Paul Giamatti) is a failing novelist, whose vast knowledge of wines is but a veil for his borderline alcoholism. Two years divorced and clinically depressed, Miles needs to get things back on track. With his best friend Jack's wedding just a week away, the two friends head out on the road into California wine country. Miles plans to spend the week at samplings and playing golf, but Jack has other ideas.
Questioning whether he's making the right decision with only seven days left as a free man, Jack wants to party, and he wants to meet girls. And he does. The girls are Stephanie (Sandra Oh), a single mother who works at a winery, and Maya (Virginia Madsen), another divorcé with eyes for Miles. While it may seem far-fetched that a woman like Madsen would fall for Giamatti (looking more like Harvey Pekar than when he actually played him in American Splendor), it works. The characters are well drawn and the performances are excellent everything about Sideways is believable. That Giamatti wasn't nominated for a Best Actor statue seems criminal. The man gives a performance as heart-wrenching as it is hilarious; yet, as good as he is, the real star here is Jack, played to perfection by Thomas Haden Church.
A former soap opera star that now does commercial voice-overs, Jack is the ultimate ladies man every girl he meets "has it going on." Funny and charming, Church is the best thing the movie has going for it, even if Jack is a terrible person. About to be married, he is desperate for last minute adultery. The fact that Church can still make the character so likable is a testament to his charisma. Jack is a guy everyone knows the arrogant jerk one hates but can never quite get mad at. And he's hardly the only flawed man in the film: Miles stops by his mother's house before the trip begins, in part to wish her happy birthday, but also to steal gas money. He is forgivable in his errs in a way Jack is not, for if his actions hurt anyone, it is himself.
With five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, it is unlikely that Sideways will win big, if at all. (Editor's Note: Best Adapted Screenplay. One for five ain't bad.) It lacks the glossy self-importance of Scorsese's Aviator, and it only takes one look at the films' respective budgets to see why. Still, director Alexander Payne uses split-screen photography and the California landscape to make Sideways a sleek and stylish romp in its own right. This is art house cinema at its rich, full-bodied best.
FINAL SCORE: 9.5/10 = A+ Payne's filmography paves the road to this road trip nicely. The fantastic Election was an absurd comedy inflected with human drama. About Schmidt was a deeply dramatic movie with lightening touches of absurdity. With Sideways, he seems to have struck the perfect balance between the two. The film rides the emotions of its characters, with sinking lows and hilarious highs. If it defies categorization, it's because it's real -- its performances are honest portraits of real people, not contrived characters designed to enact a tried plot. Million Dollar Baby was good, but for my money, this was the Best Picture of 2004.
Questioning whether he's making the right decision with only seven days left as a free man, Jack wants to party, and he wants to meet girls. And he does. The girls are Stephanie (Sandra Oh), a single mother who works at a winery, and Maya (Virginia Madsen), another divorcé with eyes for Miles. While it may seem far-fetched that a woman like Madsen would fall for Giamatti (looking more like Harvey Pekar than when he actually played him in American Splendor), it works. The characters are well drawn and the performances are excellent everything about Sideways is believable. That Giamatti wasn't nominated for a Best Actor statue seems criminal. The man gives a performance as heart-wrenching as it is hilarious; yet, as good as he is, the real star here is Jack, played to perfection by Thomas Haden Church.
A former soap opera star that now does commercial voice-overs, Jack is the ultimate ladies man every girl he meets "has it going on." Funny and charming, Church is the best thing the movie has going for it, even if Jack is a terrible person. About to be married, he is desperate for last minute adultery. The fact that Church can still make the character so likable is a testament to his charisma. Jack is a guy everyone knows the arrogant jerk one hates but can never quite get mad at. And he's hardly the only flawed man in the film: Miles stops by his mother's house before the trip begins, in part to wish her happy birthday, but also to steal gas money. He is forgivable in his errs in a way Jack is not, for if his actions hurt anyone, it is himself.
With five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, it is unlikely that Sideways will win big, if at all. (Editor's Note: Best Adapted Screenplay. One for five ain't bad.) It lacks the glossy self-importance of Scorsese's Aviator, and it only takes one look at the films' respective budgets to see why. Still, director Alexander Payne uses split-screen photography and the California landscape to make Sideways a sleek and stylish romp in its own right. This is art house cinema at its rich, full-bodied best.
FINAL SCORE: 9.5/10 = A+ Payne's filmography paves the road to this road trip nicely. The fantastic Election was an absurd comedy inflected with human drama. About Schmidt was a deeply dramatic movie with lightening touches of absurdity. With Sideways, he seems to have struck the perfect balance between the two. The film rides the emotions of its characters, with sinking lows and hilarious highs. If it defies categorization, it's because it's real -- its performances are honest portraits of real people, not contrived characters designed to enact a tried plot. Million Dollar Baby was good, but for my money, this was the Best Picture of 2004.