Sideways Movie Review:


The cool thing about director Alexander Payne is how he acknowledges the existence of an America that isn't New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago. I suppose it's understandable when you're from Omaha, Nebraska, but it's refreshing that he's taken his extra-metropolitan eyes with him in his films. In his last cinematic journey, “About Schmidt,” Payne took us across a middle America that wasn't too far from his home of Nebraska. In his latest, “Sideways,” he shows us there's more to California than SoCal or NorCal.

“Sideways” follows the adventures of two middle-aged San Diego-ites, Miles (Paul Giamatti), a neurotic cynic, and Jack (Thomas Haden Church), a loose cad. For the week before Jack's wedding, Miles takes his old friend to one of his favorite locations, the Californian wine country. It's the area a southern Californian like me will pass by, often without much thought, on the way up to San Francisco, between Santa Barbara and Santa Maria. Once there, the two men experience midlife crises against the backdrop of the region's vast vineyards and wineries, colored with a regular-folk small town culture many people wouldn't picture when they think of California.

It's the use of these realistic palettes that gives Payne's movies their flavor. The people seem real, the restaurants feel as if you could just walk right in while watching the film, and the homes are messy and lived-in. Payne captures his locations with honesty – “About Schmidt” depicted the naked urban sprawl of middle America; in contrast, “Sideways” allows Santa Barbara County's countryside warmth to shine through. Yet, it never loses the sense of urban creep that leaves its mark on the settlements there. It's that right combination of coziness and coldness that makes the setting believable.

The setting also anchors the movie, for the story that plays out over it is, at least on the surface, fairly conventional. Miles is uptight, analytical, and hesitant; Jack is social, spontaneous, and not too bright. Their dynamic is familiar, as the trouble seeker upsets the plans of the trouble avoider. Both men are headstrong and sure of themselves, although Jack's unstoppable force often proves stronger than Miles's immovable object. Women, of course, figure into Jack's plans, and before you know it he's encouraging Miles to take advantage of his own natural charms, the ones Miles doesn't think he has. You can almost hear the Swingers mantra --"You're so money and you don't even know it!"-- trying to escape Jack's lips.

The movie is, logically, more about Miles than it is about Jack -- Miles is the one waiting to hear back from his agent about whether or not a publisher has accepted his latest manuscript; Miles is the one who doesn't have enough nerve to take a step closer to getting to know a waitress named Maya (Virginia Madsen); and Miles is the one who finds out that, when things don't go as planned, life doesn't end. It's a little disappointing that a movie with so much potential for unconventionality ultimately ends up being somewhat predictable overall, with not much in the way of truly memorable scenes, save for one whopper and a couple of doozies.

What gives the tale its extra edge is the performance of Paul Giamatti. Fresh off his leading turn in last year's splendid “American Splendor,” Giamatti shows his ability to drive a movie isn't a fluke. His turn as the irascible wine-tasting enthusiast is what allows Sideways to tip the balance back towards genuineness. He takes a character we've seen before and makes him his own, thus making the story about him as unique as it can be.

All of “Sideways” is a balancing act -- between sun and despair; setting and story; oddities and familiarity; and between making a movie an exposé on the little realities of life and making a movie a Movie. While working its tightrope, it doesn't have the mobility to throw some hard-hitting punches -- it's more leisurely, a pace and manner more suited to a film featuring the finer distinctions in appreciating both wine and the steady march of life itself.

Jeffrey Chen

There seems to be a lot of similarities to “Lost in Translation” in “Sideways”. Or maybe it’s just the wine.

American Splendor’s Paul Giamatti stars as Miles Raymond, a struggling writer who takes Jack (Thomas Haden Church) his soon-to-be-married best friend on a tour of the California wine country a week before his wedding.

The duo drink elegant wines, eat delicious food and visit with the locals including Maya (Virginia Madsen), a woman Miles really connects with.

A seemingly perfect week for Mile falls apart when Jack falls in love with Stephanie, a local winery clerk (Sandra Oh) and wants to call off his wedding. Now Miles has to stop his friend from making a huge mistake as he watches the world around him come crashing down.

There are a lot of similarities between Giamatti’s Miles and Bill Murray in “Lost in Translation” except Giamatti seems to be more approachable when playing this kind of character. The reason being is that the film first shows us how much Miles likes where he is and that he is in his own element. Miles is a wine geek and California wine country is a wine geek’s Mecca. Then Miles seems to self destruct when he finds out all Jack wants to do is have lots of sex and party before his impending nuptials.

Giamatti’s portrayal of Miles is brilliant and it once more shows why the actor is so underrated in films today. I liked how the script allowed for a slow destruction of Miles as we learned more about him and the wines he loves.

The best scene involving Giamatti’s Miles is when the character ends up at a busy posh winery flooded with tourists and his self-destruction becomes complete as he gargles the wine-tasting spittoon in rebellion that the winery won’t pour him a full glass of wine. It is a riotous scene and it is the perfect example of Giamatti’s brilliance in the character.

There were a lot of moments in the film that made me ponder if the filmmakers were making a wine brochure or a deconstruction of Miles. There are some scenes where the film soft scans a lot of wine labels as the characters drink, cheer and gasp in awe. If you aren’t a wine geek these scenes seem tedious and have little impact. I still don’t know what is so great about a pinot but I would like to find out. Does that help?

I was also quite impressed with the performance of television veteran, Thomas Haden Church, best known as Lowell on Wings, as the obnoxious groom. Church brings a lot of the comedic timing and acting zeal he honed in both “Wings” and the much beloved but short-lived sitcom “Ned & Stacey”. His performance is utterly obnoxious, but it is a perfect compliment to the very moody Miles.

“Sideways” is a film that is sure to electrify all the wine geeks out there but it may be lost on the casual viewer. It is headlined by two great performances but the film’s pace and length seem to suck out a lot of the film’s life.

(3.5 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

Dean Kish

Payne and Taylor continue to skewer American society with this brilliant comedy about ambitions and expectations. Yes, they covered this territory in About Schmidt, but their approach is distinctive enough--and much funnier--that it's a must-see film.

The week before Jack (Church) gets married, his old friend Miles (Giamatti) takes him to Santa Ynez Valley, with wine-tasting and golf-playing in mind. But Jack wants to have a last-minute fling or two before he settles down. Both men are just hitting midlife--Miles is a middle school English teacher who's never published that elusive novel; Jack's a struggling actor whose greatest claim to fame is a TV advert voiceover. When they meet two fascinating, intelligent women (Madsen and Oh), their holiday takes a turn.

The script slices through the characters and situations like a scalpel, hilariously observing little moments that reveal both the characters and ourselves. The dialog is so astute that it often leaves us gasping for breath--laughing and cringing and pretending it's not actually us on screen. These are people who cling tenaciously to dreams they know they'll never realise. So underneath the constant stream of sharp humour there's a lovely stream of sadness, as well as hope that life might not be all that bad.

Giamatti and Church are simply wonderful--as they go through a series of twisted adventures, their interaction shifts, as does their own unique style of self-examination. These are richly detailed performances that keep us laughing and then overwhelm us in emotion. And Madsen and Oh are terrific as well in sharply written roles.

Payne fills the film with inspired comic moments that enhance the film's tone. When Miles phones his ex-wife in a moment of lonely desperation after a day of wine tasting, Jack chides him: "Did you drink and dial?" It's a big-laugh sitcom line, but in this context it has authentic resonance. And there are also several delicate, heartbreakingly intimate scenes between Giamatti and Madsen. But Payne keeps a grip on the material, never letting it spiral into a mere midlife crisis movie. After travelling this journey, we see our lives in a slightly new way.

Rich Cline

With a week to go until Jack (Haden Church) gets married and his best man Miles (Giamatti) has organised a week of wine tasting in the vineyards of California to celebrate his remaining time of freedom. Miles sees it as a chance to spend time with his friend but Jack sees it as his last chance to be with other women. Each of them will go on a journey of self-discovery, facing responsibility, guilt, fear and their own personal demons, while drinking a lot of very good wine.

Teenagers and twenty year-olds all have their rites of passage movies but what about those people who still don’t know what they are going to do with themselves in their late thirties?

‘Sideways’ takes an amusing look at two men in their late thirties who still haven’t got a plan for their lives. Caught between freedom and inevitable responsibility, both Miles and Jack have reached a pivotal moment in their lives and this week is the time they are going to assess what they have achieved during their short stay on the planet. For this is a time of major reflection for Miles, as he waiting for answer to see if his book is going to be published. If it fails, he’ll have nothing, as he has reached an age were he thinks that if he doesn’t have money then he will never find another woman. This is the end of his single life for Jack and he sees the week as his last opportunity to be with another woman. He believes that he will be trapped as soon as he gets that ring on his finger and he is ridded with doubt. Each of these characters has a lot to face and this week could be a crucial time in their lives. This is what draws you into the characters and the story.

Bringing Jack and Miles to life are two exceptional performances from Thomas Haden Church and Paul Giamatti. These two drive the movie and draw you into their frustrations, fears and doubts in a manner that makes it extremely easy to relate to the characters. Thomas Haden Church is one of those actors who you recognise but can’t but a name to but this is the movie that will thrust him into the limelight. As Jack, he is the quintessential ladies man who plays on his minor celebrity, as an ex-TV series actor, to draw women into his bed. Flamboyant, funny and slightly dim, Church makes Jack very likeable, even though he is actually cheating on his wife to be. It is hard to think of a time when Paul Giamatti gave a bad performance, even when the movie didn’t deserve it. He excels as a man who’s life is slowly heading down the toilet, as it seems to be filled a parade of disappointments and bad news. This is a role that Giamatti was made to play and a part that shows the true array of his talents. The character goes through a journey of self-discovery that will shape the rest of his life and Giamatti conveys this in a way only he can.

‘Sideways’ is all about Jack and Miles but there are some good supporting characters that accompany them on their journey. Virginia Madsen returns to your attention after a few years in the wilderness. As Hollywood clamours for the young and beautiful, they are very few quality roles for actresses over the age of forty but Madsen’s Maya is one of those rarities. This is a woman who has also gone through a divorce but is open to the thought of another relationship. She has so many things in common with Miles and they are bound to get along but he doesn’t have the same confidence. Madsen excels in the role and lights up the screen, every time see graces it. The same can be said about Sandra Oh’s Stephanie. This is another strong female character and she makes it easy to see why Jack would be attracted to her.

‘Sideways’ is a rites of passage movie of middle-aged generation. It shows that there is no age limit to not having a life plan and people can be stuck in a personal rut any time in there lives. It is the performances and the story that draw you in to this comedic, heartfelt look at real life. Director Alex Payne has real affinity with his actors, coaxing the best out of them and with this, driving the story. The emotions flow along with the wine, as Jack and Miles discover the true meaning of life in the vineyards of California and you feel like you’ve made some friends along the way.

Star Rating = * * * *

Jamie Kelwick

 

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