Review of Sideways (2004) by Rane P — 09 Jan 2012

I cannot say that I am any kind of devoted fan to the work of director Alexander Payne. I have not yet seen his latest effort, The Decedents, although I have heard many words of praise for the picture. I did not care much for Election, starring Matthew Broderick and Rhyse Witherspoon, and although I did not dislike About Schmidt, I cannot say that I was overly enthused about it either. That said, there is something in the 2004 film, Sideways, which stands much taller than all of his other works to date. In my opinion, what Mr. Payne has created in this film is a study as creative and diverse and as clever as anything that has come before it. In my opinion, Sideways is a masterpiece.

Most of the fare that is projected onto the screens of your neighborhood multiplex today is made in a bubble. There seems to be a serious lack of imagination and keen awareness of what the human being and it's experience actually is. Quite in stark contrast to those many years ago in the early 2000's. We had thoughtful and provocative films like Sideways and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; films that were interested in telling people as they were about telling stories. This is not to say that every once and a while a good film, or even a great film does not come out in theaters. You just have to look that much harder for them is all.

No. There is something different about that year in the mainstream. It was a time of hope for films, that perhaps we had grown up a little in our recent, tragic history. We had been forced to look at our lives in a different way and take stock of what it is that is actually of import to us. That is exactly what a film like Sideways does. It takes a step back, and like a good wine drinker, allows the characters to breathe and exist on their own terms.

Paul Giamatti, in typically outstanding form, plays Miles: an eighth grade English teacher who has dreams of publishing his novel and through that, create a new existence for himself. The film sees Miles and his old college roommate, Jack (Thomas Haden Church), going for one last road trip together as single men. Miles wants to show Jack a good time before he ties the knot with Christine, his fiance. To do this Miles has planned a tour of California wine country with tastings all the way up and down. While Jack is not opposed to this idea, he has much more lascivious plans of his own. He wants to spend the week his friend has planned for them as an overextended bachelor party and there is nothing which will get in his way of making this plan become a reality.

While the premise sounds no different from something one might find in a Judd Apatow film, the writer/director Payne does not rely solely on the plot to work as the engine for his script. He is much more interested in interactions that the characters have and creating situations which do not take over the film, rather they give the characters room to blossom.

Along the way Jack and Miles meet up with Maya and Stephanie, two local baristas who are immediately attracted to the duo. I'm not going to go into the plot further, at this point, but what they bring to the film is immeasurable. After the introduction of these two ladies and the subsequent meetings which the two main characters have with them, the film opens of like a blossoming flower.

I cannot say enough good about this picture. It is one of a kind and reminds me greatly of the poignant films which were being made by the great comedic directors back in the golden age of Hollywood, such as Preston Sturges (Sullivan's Travels) and Leo McCrarry (Make Room For Tomorrow). The only reason I do not say more is due to fear of sounding foolish, as the film centers wonderfully around the world of wine and seams to have is philosophy down pat. I appreciate a good wine myself, but would never consider myself to be half of what these characters prove to be. I just think they taste pretty.