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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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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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Miles and Jack don't so much get under your skin as climb inside your heart
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Most helpful members' reviews (3)
View all -
123 out of 145 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. -
55 out of 89 people found this review helpful
Don't believe the hype
The advertising spin and trailers for this film suggest a work of genius - in reality it's a mediocre and slightly pretentious road movie. It had strong appeal to hollywood and the US critics for delivering a quasi-european arthouse style.
I watched it with others from the 'target' audience group and we were left cold.
Watch it but don't expect too much. -
40 out of 46 people found this review helpful
intelligent and witty
This film really took me by surprise. I knew nothing about it except that its about 2 men spending a week driving around california's wine region - it couldn't sound more boring if it tried. But thankfully its anything but. This isn't 'for middle aged men and wine lovers' as one reviewer suggests - I know nothing about wine and I'm certainly not a middle aged man! This is an intelligent, witty drama with a well-written central character and his loathsome, yet for some reason endearing, friend. You often won't like the main characters - but thats sort of the point, this isn't hollywood shmooze, this is real life observational drama. This film is about 'normal' people doing 'normal' things...it just happens that the main character is obsessed by wine, but it could easily have been something completely different, it really isn't about that. This is about friendship, love, fear and new beginnings. Its very relaxed, its very easy going and its blatantly made on a shoestring - it really goes to prove that to make a good film you only need a few good actors and a corker of a script. Fans of Woody Allen will appreciate this film, fans of Frasier will appreciate this film, fans of Jean Claude Van-Damme really won't.
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- Gromit from Canterbury
- Posted 26 May 2006 16:51
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Most recent members' reviews (2)
View all -
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
A very strange film
Not particularly funny. Some amusing moments but mostly it was boring and made everyone cringe. There wasn't a single character that was likable. Maybe that was the point to make it more real and less like a regular Hollywood film but it just meant you don't get engaged with any of them or with the story so it's dull. We stopped it halfway through to get ice cream, no one seemed to be enjoying it but we stubbornly watched the rest and found at the end that we all wished we'd just switched off. It seems to be a Marmite film, either love it or hate it.
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
brilliant
a sunday afternoon film that even your man will enjoy
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123 out of 145 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. -
55 out of 89 people found this review helpful
Don't believe the hype
The advertising spin and trailers for this film suggest a work of genius - in reality it's a mediocre and slightly pretentious road movie. It had strong appeal to hollywood and the US critics for delivering a quasi-european arthouse style.
I watched it with others from the 'target' audience group and we were left cold.
Watch it but don't expect too much. -
40 out of 46 people found this review helpful
intelligent and witty
This film really took me by surprise. I knew nothing about it except that its about 2 men spending a week driving around california's wine region - it couldn't sound more boring if it tried. But thankfully its anything but. This isn't 'for middle aged men and wine lovers' as one reviewer suggests - I know nothing about wine and I'm certainly not a middle aged man! This is an intelligent, witty drama with a well-written central character and his loathsome, yet for some reason endearing, friend. You often won't like the main characters - but thats sort of the point, this isn't hollywood shmooze, this is real life observational drama. This film is about 'normal' people doing 'normal' things...it just happens that the main character is obsessed by wine, but it could easily have been something completely different, it really isn't about that. This is about friendship, love, fear and new beginnings. Its very relaxed, its very easy going and its blatantly made on a shoestring - it really goes to prove that to make a good film you only need a few good actors and a corker of a script. Fans of Woody Allen will appreciate this film, fans of Frasier will appreciate this film, fans of Jean Claude Van-Damme really won't.
-
- Gromit from Canterbury
- Posted 26 May 2006 16:51
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31 out of 42 people found this review helpful
Sidestep this!
If you want to watch a film about two men having mid life crisis' and tasting wine then this is for you.
If not avoid this long winded bore which I wish I had done! This has very little in the way of interest or amusement and fast forwarding makes it more enjoyable. -
24 out of 36 people found this review helpful
Funny?????
Big disappointment! Don't believe the hype is all I have to say. I was about to turn it off but held on waiting for the hilarity - but alas it never materialised.
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23 out of 33 people found this review helpful
Beautifully played gem
This is a great little film about two friends, Miles and Jack, who have not achieved their dreams in life, on a week in California wine country before Jack's wedding. It's a simple story, told with modesty and consummate skill, that works brilliantly through a natural, genuine warmth. You genuinely care about what happens to these people, and Giamatti especially is awesome. Fans of his Harvey Pekar in 'American Splendor' will revel in another classic sourpuss performance. The film doesn't go for big belly laughs, although it is very funny in a meandering, easy-going gentle way. A slow-burn classic.
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18 out of 22 people found this review helpful
Fantastic!
This film is BRILLIANT! I cannot recommend it highly enough. Having never seen the actors or any of the director's films before, this was a very pleasant surprise. I laughed out loud - actually I howled with laughter at times - this film was so funny. It is also refreshing to see a slice of American life that isn't fake, plastic and 'beautiful' but real.
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18 out of 25 people found this review helpful
See Sideways
This film has got so much going for it, I don't know where to start. Paul Giametti, so malign and lugubrious in American Splendor, has suddenly become my favourite actor. All the main four cast give career-definingly good performances in Sideways, and the script is wonderfully tight and insightful. There are also some brilliant visual jokes. I can't recommend it enough.
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17 out of 21 people found this review helpful
Superb
A wonderful script, beautifully crafted characters, and touching performances from the whole cast makes this a must see film of 2005. If you’re not an amateur wine taster before seeing this film you will be afterwards.
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17 out of 24 people found this review helpful
I think the critics must have been drunk when they reviewed this pish
Oh dear. All the reviews I read for this film proclaimed it to be the best thing they'd seen that year. What tosh! This film is a drab, slow paced and tedious affair. The two main characters are both thoroughly unlikeable and the story is completely unengaging. Count Daddy's final thought - if you imagine 'Withnail and I' as being at the pinnacle of the boozy, black comedy, buddy movie mountain; 'Sideways' is firmly rooted in the sewers stuck between a sweetcorn floater and a sodden sanitary towel.
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.
-
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
-
Miles and Jack don't so much get under your skin as climb inside your heart
-
A mid-life crisis movie to rival American Beauty. Funny, tender and true
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The funniest film of the year
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