Review of Sideways (2009) by Natalie R — 17 Mar 2010

The week before his best friend is to be married, Miles takes his friend Jack up into Wine Country in California as a kind of 'one last ride.' But while Miles is concerned with Jack having fun (not too much), Jack is concerned with the downturn Miles' life has taken since his divorce.

I'm going to start with the fact that I was having a difficult time coming up with great things to say about this film. But then I realized that being average is just another part of its charm. It loosely follows the basic road movie plot line. Two friends, one being an ass and the other being a buzz-kill, travel out to have some fun while the ass mucks things up with the buzz-kill trying to even him out. Pretty basic. But I get the same kind of feel out of this that I got out of "American Splendor." Maybe it's just Giamatti, but this really balanced quite well in the realm of reality. It's not crazy or boring, it's just average. There is so much emotion put into these characters, moreso from Giamatti, but that's due to storytelling. I really did see the connection these guys had as friends and the two played off of each other quite well. They pulled off their individual characters flawlessly, and I found myself both hating and connecting with both of them about the same. The pacing starts out strong, but slows down maybe just a tad too much toward the middle. The plot made up for this with its rich characters and realistically charming/emotional scenes. The comedy isn't... generic, I suppose. It isn't laugh-out-loud funny every time a scene changes like in a sitcom, and it doesn't try to be. Just like life, the humor is subtle and will probably give you a good chuckle every now and then, due equally to Giamatti & Haden-Church. As with most films made from books, there are a few loose-ended scenes that feel a bit lacking in explanation yet without being completely pointless. Another, more positive, aspect of a film being made from a book is the outstanding writing in just about every minute of the film. The directing accompanying it was also done quite well, conveying the mood and the direction each scene is going very well. Whether its a coincidence or not, the film and the book that Miles wrote within the film have a lot of similarities. Foremost for me would be 'its difficult to market.' Its a comedy, but its more heartfelt than hilarious. It's depressing, yet sometimes light and fun. It's normal. It's just like life, and its about the experiences. Like a fine wine it might take you a few tries to soak it all up. But in the end, it's pretty enjoyable and you will probably keep going back for more. It's fantastic in its subtleties, would be the phrase for this film. I'll give "Sideways" 8 sips out of 10.