|
Advertisement |
Overall Rating
  Awesome: 65.05%
Worth A Look: 18.45%
Average: 7.28%
Pretty Bad: 4.37%
Total Crap: 4.85%
17 reviews, 104 user ratings
|
|
| Sideways (2004) |
by Mark Rodger-Snelson
"Modern American filmmaking at its very best"
|
Sideways is a simple yet emotionally rich, dialogue driven drama based on the novel of the same name. It follows the misadventures of two 40 somethings, Miles and Jack, during a week-long holiday in Californian wine country as pre-marriage gift for Jack who is due to get hitched the following Saturday.The two have very little in common except for the fact that they have known each other since college. Jack (Thomas Haden Church) is a washed up TV actor with haggard good looks who sees this trip as nothing more than an opportunity to get laid before he ties the knot. However, Miles (Paul Giamatti) wanted this to be a relaxing holiday that involved wine tasting, fine food and golf – shacking up with a woman is the last thing on his mind. Miles is a depressed and highly strung soul who is bitter about his divorce and refuses to let go of the hope that he might one day get back together with his ex-wife which, in reality, is not going to happen. He has built up impenetrable walls around himself when it comes to the opposite sex. Even when Maya (Virginia Madsen), an attractive waitress with a vast knowledge of wines (a seemingly perfect match) shows an obvious interest him, he retreats from her advances.
Jack is relentless in his mission to have sex with another woman before his marriage and on their first day of wine tasting he charms the flirtatious Stephanie (Sandra Oh), a single mum and local wine pourer who also turns out to be good friends with Maya. When this is discovered Jack wastes no time in setting up a double date and insists that Miles keep his wedding on Saturday a secret. Jack and Stephanie hit it off instantly and engage in a string of fervent romps which, unbeknown to Stephanie, is a relationship bound to end in pain as Jack’s wedding day looms. Miles and Maya’s relationship is a much more hesitant affair. They are both recent divorcees and tread carefully with Miles being so overcautious that he threatens to blow a perfect opportunity to find love again. Their conversations about wine are fascinating and often serve as a metaphor on life that reveal their innermost feelings.
The Californian wine country is beautifully shot in what seems to be a homage to 70’s style filmmaking complete with lens flares and split screen editing. A style that may also represent a carefree time that the Miles and Jack are hoping to recreate with this jaunt into the vineyards. The casting is perfect in Sideways and the performances are flawless all round with Giamatti’s portrayal of Miles being his best work yet. The appeal of the characters they play is how real they seem, they look like everyday people and face believable problems, making them easy to care about and relate to despite their flaws. Director Alexander Payne (Election, About Schmidt) has an amazing talent for making extraordinary films about ordinary lives.Sideways is a charming film that is smart, sublime and deeply poignant as well as being hysterically funny without relying on slapstick. It is an exceptionally pleasurable cinema experience that I did not want to end; this is modern American filmmaking at its very best. Also, if you are a wine drinker, I highly recommend seeking out a cinema that serves wine (either that or smuggle a bottle in) otherwise you will be dying for a glass by the end of the movie.
link directly to this review at https://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=10451&reviewer=388
originally posted: 01/06/05 21:07:05
![[printer]](/images/icon/printer.gif) printer-friendly format
|
OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2004 Chicago Film Festival. For more in the 2004 Chicago Film Festival series, click here.
OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2004 Starz Denver Film Festival. For more in the 2004 Starz Denver Film Festival series, click here.
OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2004 Toronto Film Festival. For more in the 2004 Toronto Film Festival series, click here.
OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2004 New York Film Festival. For more in the 2004 New York Film Festival series, click here.
|
 |
USA
22-Oct-2004 (R)
DVD: 05-Apr-2005
UK
N/A
Australia
26-Jan-2005
|
|
Articles 
subscribe to this feed![[AllPosters.com]](/images/icon/ap.gif){kind=icon}
