Review of Sideways (2004) by Daniel T — 15 Mar 2010

"It tastes like the back of a fucking L.A. school bus. Now they probably didn't de-stem, hoping for some semblance of concentration, crushed it up with leaves and mice, and then wound up with this rancid tar and turpentine bullshit. Fuckin' Raid.".

Meet Miles. He's a divorced, struggling writer on Xanex and Lexapro who has a genuine passion for wine. He has a genuine talent for analyzing wines, relying on his extensive vocabulary to form his opinion. You can tell he really loves what he does. You can also tell he hates the direction his life is going. He can name every last ingredient in a Pinot, but he can't get his novel published.

"You need to get laid, Miles. You know what? That's going to be my best man gift to you this week. I'm gonna get you laid.".

Meet Jack, Miles' friend and roommate from freshman year. To celebrate his friend Jack's last days as an unmarried man, the two hit the road to tour the California wine country. Jack would like you to believe he's a famous actor, but he almost has to force people into recognizing him. In reality, he's no more successful then Miles, whose mother is probably the only one who's seen everything he's been in. Despite this similarity, Jack is the perfect foil for Miles in that he's everything Miles is not. He's spontaneous, uncultured in terms of wine, and isn't sure if the woman he's going to marry is really the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with. "You don't understand my plight," he tells Miles. He sets out to get as much sex as he can before he settles down, and find a way to get Miles some as well. "Can't we just... go back to the motel... and hang out... and get up early, play 9 holes of golf... before we head home?" Miles whines.

"Sideways" was the first film to win to win best screenplay from all five "major" critic groups (National Board Of Review, New York, Los Angeles, Broadcast and National Society Critics), the Golden Globes, the WGA and the Academy Awards -- and deservingly so. Written and directed by Alexander Payne, "Sideways" is a very unique film in that it succeeds as a comedy with heart. Often we hear the phrase "comedy with a heart." This is phrase commonly used by critics for movies "Superbad" and "The Hangover." Really, these movies are just meant to make you laugh without going any deeper. "Sideways" stands apart from other movies. It is a fantastic blend of three genres: drama, romance, and comedy.

When I say that this movie is a comedy with heart, I mean it in the sense that it makes you care for the characters. It's a movie with something to say, and the characters are three dimensional and human. They have more motivation than having an amazing bachelor party in Vegas or getting laid before graduating high school. Our love for these characters is greatly due to the people portraying them.

Paul Giamatti is superb as always, and is probably one of the most underrated actors today. In portraying Miles, he delivers his lines perfectly. In another year, he would have had a better chance at the Oscar. Instead, he was snubbed of a nomination. Thomas Haden Church is also fantastic. In the hands of a lesser actor, the character of Jack would be whiny and annoying with no chance of earning our sympathy. Although Payne's script doesn't examine Jack's character as deeply as Miles', Church's performance makes up for it. Giamatti and Church both have a unique and rare chemistry together that reminded me a lot of Colin Farrell and Brenden Gleeson from "In Bruges. They have an uncanny ability of producing both inspired humor and profound insight. We believe that they are real people and that "Sideways" is more than just a story about two friends on a trip. It is one of those movies that is not only worth the watch but one that is worth watching again and again.