CriticSociety- film reviews

Review

Sideways

Director

Alexander Payne

Year

2004

Rating

Reviewed by

José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris

Review date

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

Sideways was the last movie I saw during the Oscar season. And what a way to close it! I’m amazed a little movie like this could become what it ultimately became: a critics’ darling and a box office triumph. The latter is even more mind-numbing for me, but I couldn’t be happier. People can say whatever they want about the Oscars and the awards season, but one thing I’ll always be grateful for is the fact that they bring attention to smaller quality movies. Would I have watched the movie if it hadn’t gone as far as it did? I sadly don’t think so. I respect Alexander Payne and his movies are usually good, but I’m not the biggest fan. Fortunately, word-of-mouth grew until the buzz was unbearable, and indifference was not an option anymore.

Miles (Paul Giamatti) is a failed writer who also happens to be a wine expert. He takes his actor friend Jack (Thomas Haden Church) on a stateside trip for one week before Jack marries. That said, all Jack wants to do is get laid, and he soon finds in Stephanie (Sandra Oh) the perfect prey. But Miles should have some fun too, so Jack hooks him up with Maya (Virginia Madsen), a waitress Miles has been fond of for some time now.

At first glance it’s difficult to appreciate why Sideway is such a wonderful, poignant, though-provoking movie. After all, it’s all about a guy who only thinks of sex and a guy who is his exact opposite, especially after having just come out of a painful divorce. And sure, the movie is really funny. Yes, it is a comedy. And it’s very effective at that. So why?

Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor did a beautiful job in translating Rex Pickett’s novel to the big screen. Sideways is just like the fine wine the characters in the movie keep drinking and talking about. It takes its time, it suddenly comes alive, and the aftertaste is simply delicious, flavoring its different moments depending on how you look at it.

It is also a movie about two guys in the midst of a mid-life crisis. And beyond all the comedy lies the story of two individuals who are actually quite sad and lonely, searching for answers in disparate ways. Their relationship is developed carefully and realistically, as is the one between Miles and Maya. That said, the best scene of the movie belongs to these two, just sitting and talking at Stephanie’s porch. It just doesn’t get any better.

The four lead performances in Sideways are all perfectly suited to their characters. This is what I call perfect casting. Paul Giamatti leads in a wonderful, understated, pathos-filled performance that carries the movie on its shoulders and comes off incredibly well. Thomas Haden Church, on the other hand, is the scene stealer, delivering the absolute best supporting performance of the year. He’s hilarious, over-the-top and as sad as it gets. Virginia Madsen, on the other hand, is glorious and gives the movie its spiritual weight. And Sandra Oh is irresistible in the smaller role of them all.

Minor complaint: Rolfe Kent’s score. I’s like elevator music! Completely distracting at times.

“And it tastes so fucking good.”

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Review

Sideways

Director

Alexander Payne

Year

2004

Rating

Reviewed by

Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho

Review date

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

It’s not an easy time for Miles (Paul Giamatti). His wife has divorced him, he’s facing an uncertain career, and the novel he wrote and which he has so much faith upon seems to be the kind that no publisher dares to consider publishing. However, this is not a time to be depressed about being a High School English teacher and nothing else, not loved by any women or respected by any professional, this is a time to celebrate a very special occasion: Best friend Jack (Thomas Haden Church) is getting married and a week-long trip has been planned by the two to say farewell to his single life.

From the get-go, it becomes quite clear what the intention of each is: Miles wants to forget about women, obligation, and failure. He wants to enjoy his trip through California’s wine country by relaxing, drinking, golfing, and chatting. Jack, on the other hand, has a three-letter word in his mind: Sex. And he’s planning to help Miles get it, too! When they eventually encounter pretty waitress Maya (Virginia Madsen), an old acquaintance of Miles’, and her sexy friend Stephanie (Sandra Oh), they’re in for a wild ride, though not necessarily the kind each expected.

What a nice little movie. I saw it this weekend with my friend Morris and it was a fine way to wrap up the Awards season. We’d been looking forward to it and didn’t quite know what to expect, but I guess it was special since he came town and we share such a special relationship though we’re so different from each other. I’m not trying to say that any of us identifies with any character from the movie, but in ways there was a connection, or at least I feel it now. Truth is, neither of us really fell in love with the movie at the time. However, the day after, we were chitchatting about something and all of a sudden we started talking about how much we now loved it now. It seemed inevitable.

Sideways is the kind of movie that offers much more than meets the eye, but doesn’t really care if you get it or not. Based on the book by Rex Pickett, and scripted by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, it’s just a low-key piece that intends to make people laugh a little, cry a little, and perhaps reflect about their own existence and goals and way of being. And I don’t even know how, but it works to perfection. All of a sudden I fell in love with it and I felt a compulsion to see it again, with its elevator muzak (by Rolfe Kent) and its depressing sense of humor. I feel good when I think of the movie and I felt good while watching it. It’s such a treat.

So what makes it so special? Let’s see… Miles is a depressing character, whose obsession with wine soon becomes nauseating when it’s obvious he uses his hobby to cover so many wounds. But the way through the world of wine turns fascinating when other characters see it from another point of view. Wine can be fun, it can be deep, it can be sad; it all depends on how you look at it. Maya, mostly a thoughtful character, speaks her mind through her views on wine and turns a little scene into probably the most memorable in the movie. Her performance might not be great, but this moment makes it quite big, and overall relevant. The script grants her the opportunity to show us how life can be completely different to some people just because they’re willing to see it differently. Somehow, Giamatti’s character doesn’t seem as repellent as he used to after this scene. In fact, now he seems compelling and real.

Church has a show of his own. His lines, smiles, and attitudes balance the film and make it uproarious. Jack is the perfect offbeat companion of Miles, and every one of his scenes is a treat. There is a moment when you feel like the character is going nowhere, and has no reason to be there except make the audience laugh. Wrong. Payne and Taylor make sure to flip things around once again and change Jack, all of a sudden and in front of our eyes, into a completely different kind of man, yet in a way not incongruous to what we’ve seen. And Church is up for it. To catalyze this situation we have Sandra Oh, whose performance is as good as the rest.

A great film about wine, friendship, chances, and life, but mostly about people, Sideways is one to enjoy.

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