Review of Sideways (2004) by Antonius B — 18 Oct 2018

Paul Giamatti gives a brilliant performance in this film. I laugh a little at the pretentiousness of his character as he samples wine and detects the "faintest soupçon of, like, asparagus", but I secretly wish I had his palate and expertise. It's funny to hear him express his strong opinions, e.g. "No, if anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am NOT drinking any fucking Merlot!" And then his soft, touching comments on Pinot Noir, reflecting the rewards of patience and care with the grapes, that we relate to patience and care with people. His character is unlikeable at the start - a bitter, depressed, morose killjoy who seems to only one interest, wine, which he drinks in extreme amounts. He seems like an alcoholic and a drag to Thomas Haden Church's character, who is getting married in a week and wants to party on a road trip to wine country. However, as the story unfolds, we see just how much he's been hurt, and how much of a friend he really is to Church, who turns out to be quite a profligate.

There are some hilarious moments between the two of them, and the women they meet, played by Sandra Oh and Virginia Madsen create romantic and moral tension. Sandra Oh is fantastic, and I especially love her sassy first scene, when she's pouring wine samples and after putting up with Giamatti's attitude, pours him a giant amount on his third glass. Virginia Madsen has her moments too, such as when she tells Giamatti how she connects to wine, thinking of it as a living thing, from the year the grapes were growing to the people who tended and picked them, and then constantly evolving in the bottle. Director Alexander Payne gives us touching moments, and a nice balance of comedy, darkness, and romance in the film. There are nice shots of the wine country and small towns they're in, like Solvang, sure, but how he shoots the scene were Giamatti drunk dials his ex-wife is wonderful, amplifying the feeling of intoxication. Well done.