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Sideways
2005
Two men reaching middle age with not much to show but disappointment, embark on a week long road trip through California's wine country, just as one is about to take a trip down the altar. Read more
| Starring | Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh |
|---|---|
| Director | Alexander Payne |
| Genres | Comedy |
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Sideways
Two men reaching middle age with not much to show but disappointment, embark on a week long road trip through California's wine country, just as one is about to take a trip down the altar.
| Starring | Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh |
|---|---|
| Director | Alexander Payne |
| Studio | 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 7 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Comedy |
| Language | English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Released | DVD: 16 May 2005 Production year: 2005 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (5)
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Director Alexander Payne's latest dissection of American social mores is his finest and most perfectly formed movie yet. Middle-aged mates Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Jack (Thomas Haden Church) take a trip to California's wine country to celebrate the latter's upcoming wedding. But Miles's wine-tasting plans get sidelined by Jack's desperation for a last fling and his attempts to set Miles up with an equally grape-savvy waitress (Virginia Madsen). Thanks to astonishing performances from Giamatti (a rumpled bundle of nervous self-loathing), Church (a deliciously deadpan but fading Casanova) and the Oscar-nominated Madsen, Payne's richly rewarding comedy is of the best vintage. Finding a middle ground between his last two films — the explicitly satirical Election and the overly bleak About Schmidt — Payne's gloriously picaresque analysis of midlife crises does exactly as the title suggests. It takes oblique glances at the buddy flick and road movie by skewering both with poignancy, truth and consistent wit to give a fresh vitality to each well-worn genre. It fully deserves every award it has received and a lot more.
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Can I ask you a personal question? wonders Miles (Paul Giamatti), our paunchy anti-hero, as he leans in towards... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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122 out of 144 people found this review helpful
A real treat
A road-trip through wine country becomes a voyage of self-discovery for a pair of mismatched buddies in 'Sideways', the latest film from Alexander Payne and unquestionably one of the finest American films of the year
Paul Giamatti takes the lead role of Miles, a teacher and failed novelist in his early forties who has barely come through a painful divorce. He is depressed, filled with self-loathing and has developed a fascination with wine which is teetering on the brink of full-blown alcoholism. Miles' friend Jack is about to get married so he and Miles head out on their 'stag week'. Miles has planned seven days of wine-tasting, golf, good food and relaxation, but Jack has other things on his mind. He simply wants to have as much sex as possible before he commits to one woman.
When Jack hooks up with bartender Stephanie(Sandra Oh) they embark on a one-night stand which develops into a whirlwind romance. But Miles finds it harder to open up and reveal his true feelings for Maya(Virginia Madsen) a divorced waitress who he has admired from a distance for years.
'Sideways' is a perfectly pitched, hilarious and moving film which never falters. Payne and his regular writing partner Jim Taylor have crafted a first-rate screenplay from Rex Pickett's novel, deceptively simple but containing many depths and layers which reveal themselves throughout the film. This is also the best directed film that Payne has made yet, perfectly paced and constantly moving smoothly from knockabout humour to genuine pathos.
However, the real reason 'Sideways' is so successful is down to the performances of its four leads. Church, Madsen and Sandra Oh are superb, all giving the best performances of their career, but this is Giamatti's show. As he did in last year's 'American Splendour' he has managed to take a very unlikeable character and elicit our sympathy and understanding. Miles is neurotic, self-obsessed and prone to throwing tantrums but Giamatti exposes his soul and makes us desperate for his relationship with the wonderful Maya work out. It is a subtle, funny, moving and utterly compelling performance and the Academy should be ashamed for ignoring his incredible feats for the second year in a row
You won't see many better films than this for some time. 'Sideways' is a triumph, a sublime piece of work which rings true from first minute to last. This film showcases one of American cinema's brightest young talents at the top of his game and we can only hope that, like a fine wine, Payne improves with age. -
Most recent members' review
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10 out of 12 people found this review helpful
depressing!
After all the reviews and hype about what a great film this was I was very disapointed to have to sit through a two hour long film which was highly depressing in my view - infact I would have thought anyone's view!! There was nothing remotely funny about two middle aged men trying to get laid and drinking lots of wine infact I think anyone who does think this film is good or even funny..can someone please tell me what exactly they found funny about it?? They must have been drinking alot of wine to start.. that might have helped!! I don't know why I bothered then to watch the extras but just when I thought it couldn't get any worse - Miles hits a dog! It should be under genre 'depressing' Really don't fall for the hype like i did!
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News and features
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Giamatti invited to be part of Japanese Sideways
- 30 Mar 2009
Sideways star Paul Giamatti was stunned when he was asked to play a cameo role in Japan's remake of the hit wine movie. The quirky film was such a hit in the Far East that Japanese film bosses decided to revamp it with local actors, actresses and settings. And they asked Giamatti to be a part of the production. The actor says, "They asked me to be in it, actually... I don't know what I was going to play. "I said no. I felt my career hasn't hit that low yet. I thought, 'What am I gonna play -... Read more
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