Sideways (A or 4/4 stars)
Some people are either up or down, and some can't help but be sideways. 'Sideways' is a black comedy directed by Alexander Payne, written by Payne & Jim Taylor, and based on a novel by Rex Pickett. Jack (Thomas Haden Church) is a B-list actor who is marrying his rich fiancee in a week. For one last bachelor hurrah, his friend, Miles (Paul Giamatti), decides that the 2 of them should take a week-long trip to the California wine country to relax before the wedding. Sometimes a movie comes along and hits you like a ton of bricks … in a good way. 'Sideways' transported me out of the theater and into the very small, personal worlds of these characters. And it was fun being there for a couple of hours. Not since American Beauty have I felt this way about a film.
Miles is an English teacher who is trying to get his book, 'The Day after Yesterday' published. He's depressed because his life is unfulfilled & he is still in love with his ex-wife, Victoria. The title of his book is ironic because he never seems to live in the 'today', he is always referring back to 'yesterday', a life he once had. Miles is a connoisseur of wine; it seems to be the only thing that makes him remotely happy. So, he wants to share his love & knowledge for wine with Jack. Jack is the type of guy who wants to get laid one last time before he says 'I do', & has his own mission on this trip; he tries to care about wine, but really doesn't. He also feels that his friend desperately needs some female attention. Miles is highly disappointed that this is the direction the trip seems to have taken.
One would never look at these men & think they were the best of friends. Miles is small, overweight & balding; he has no confidence in himself & his life decisions. Jack is tall, strapping & has all of the confidence in the world; but he has serious commitment issues that go back to his college days. Both men have weaknesses, but they actually compliment one other with each of their strengths. Jack tells Miles to wake up, look forward & see a future with a new woman. And Miles is there to listen to Jack & try to keep his over-confidence in check. It is hard for both men to accomplish these feats. But friendship IS a constant tug and pull, a balance is necessary. It seems as if both of their strengths add up to one whole person; they need each other.
Jack convinces Miles to take initiative with a waitress he knows named Maya (Virginia Madsen). Jack finds his own playmate, Stephanie (Sandra Oh). Both women are interested in wine and so, a perfect double-date is set-up for them. Jack asks Miles not to mention anything about his pending wedding. He thinks he loves Stephanie, but does he really love any woman? You can imagine how hiding this fact from Stephanie can only spell disaster later on. On this double-date, lots of wine is poured & lots of laughs ensue. But Miles is still in misery; he longs for his life with Victoria. But he battles his demons & makes an impression on Maya later that night. They have a fascinating, intimate conversation about wine, life, & love. These 3 subjects become intertwined into 'one', & before you know it, we are watching one of the best filmed, best acted scenes in movie cinema history.
Do Miles and Maya get together? Can Miles put his ex-wife, & failed attempts to get his books published behind him? And what of Jack? Why is he trying to sleep with Stephanie? Will he go through with his wedding? Misunderstandings and miscommunications are a plenty. Tragic consequences blend with sheer comedy & we don't know what is around the next corner on this wild week-long ride. That's the thing about this movie, it is unbelievably real, gripping, & also hysterically funny at the same time. I cannot divulge any of the scenarios that play out late in the week; let's just say that the wheels come off the spokes.
Paul Giamatti has always been a superb character actor, but he truly shines here & we put ourselves in his shoes. He has the ability to make us both hate & pity Miles; he's a complete mess. We sometimes find it hard to support him. But we still want him to find any possible way out of his misery. Thomas Haden Church is the perfect supporting character as Jack. His acting is spot on, and he 'supported' his best friend the only way he knew how. Virginia Madsen is the real surprise for me. I had not seen her in anything prior to this film, but I thought she acted with a raw sense of casual realness and am blown away by her obscure nuances, her delivery of lines, & her humility as Maya. All of these actors are absolutely wonderful and I cannot imagine this movie without each of them in it.
Miles is an English teacher who is trying to get his book, 'The Day after Yesterday' published. He's depressed because his life is unfulfilled & he is still in love with his ex-wife, Victoria. The title of his book is ironic because he never seems to live in the 'today', he is always referring back to 'yesterday', a life he once had. Miles is a connoisseur of wine; it seems to be the only thing that makes him remotely happy. So, he wants to share his love & knowledge for wine with Jack. Jack is the type of guy who wants to get laid one last time before he says 'I do', & has his own mission on this trip; he tries to care about wine, but really doesn't. He also feels that his friend desperately needs some female attention. Miles is highly disappointed that this is the direction the trip seems to have taken.
One would never look at these men & think they were the best of friends. Miles is small, overweight & balding; he has no confidence in himself & his life decisions. Jack is tall, strapping & has all of the confidence in the world; but he has serious commitment issues that go back to his college days. Both men have weaknesses, but they actually compliment one other with each of their strengths. Jack tells Miles to wake up, look forward & see a future with a new woman. And Miles is there to listen to Jack & try to keep his over-confidence in check. It is hard for both men to accomplish these feats. But friendship IS a constant tug and pull, a balance is necessary. It seems as if both of their strengths add up to one whole person; they need each other.
Jack convinces Miles to take initiative with a waitress he knows named Maya (Virginia Madsen). Jack finds his own playmate, Stephanie (Sandra Oh). Both women are interested in wine and so, a perfect double-date is set-up for them. Jack asks Miles not to mention anything about his pending wedding. He thinks he loves Stephanie, but does he really love any woman? You can imagine how hiding this fact from Stephanie can only spell disaster later on. On this double-date, lots of wine is poured & lots of laughs ensue. But Miles is still in misery; he longs for his life with Victoria. But he battles his demons & makes an impression on Maya later that night. They have a fascinating, intimate conversation about wine, life, & love. These 3 subjects become intertwined into 'one', & before you know it, we are watching one of the best filmed, best acted scenes in movie cinema history.
Do Miles and Maya get together? Can Miles put his ex-wife, & failed attempts to get his books published behind him? And what of Jack? Why is he trying to sleep with Stephanie? Will he go through with his wedding? Misunderstandings and miscommunications are a plenty. Tragic consequences blend with sheer comedy & we don't know what is around the next corner on this wild week-long ride. That's the thing about this movie, it is unbelievably real, gripping, & also hysterically funny at the same time. I cannot divulge any of the scenarios that play out late in the week; let's just say that the wheels come off the spokes.
Paul Giamatti has always been a superb character actor, but he truly shines here & we put ourselves in his shoes. He has the ability to make us both hate & pity Miles; he's a complete mess. We sometimes find it hard to support him. But we still want him to find any possible way out of his misery. Thomas Haden Church is the perfect supporting character as Jack. His acting is spot on, and he 'supported' his best friend the only way he knew how. Virginia Madsen is the real surprise for me. I had not seen her in anything prior to this film, but I thought she acted with a raw sense of casual realness and am blown away by her obscure nuances, her delivery of lines, & her humility as Maya. All of these actors are absolutely wonderful and I cannot imagine this movie without each of them in it.