Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A quirky comedy, November 14, 2004
I am not terribly familiar with Alexander Payne's work other than the hilarious "Election". I wanted to see what all the hubbub was all about "Sideways". I have been hearing nothing but glowing reviews of the film so I thought it was worth seeing this afternoon. Paul Giamatti and Thomas Hayden Church (of "Wings" and "Ned and Stacy" fame) are college buddies Miles and Jack, who decided to go on a road trip through California's wine country as a last hurrah for Jack's impending nuptials. Miles is a divorced, depressed english teacher who is also an aspiring writer. Jack is a washed up actor who has all the maturity of a dust bunny and still acts like he was still a teenager, and really isn't marriage material. Along the way, Miles and Jack meet up with Mya (Virginia Madsen) and Stephanie (Sandra Oh, Alexander's wife). There is an immediate connection between the men and the women. With Miles, he is more shy and reluctant but somehow uses his knowledge and love for wine as subtle hints for Mya telling her that he is interested in her. Jack and Stephanie hits it off immediately. Although I have an immense aversion to romantic comedies, I thought "Sideways" wasn't your typical romantic comedy. If you think about it, Miles and Jack aren't really likeable but they really aren't despicable characters either. Miles is very self-absorbed and always finds ways to kill the mood while Jack is immature and doesn't consider the consequences of his actions. The dialogue was witty and engaging, especially when Miles is talking about wine. I really enjoyed Sandra Oh's performance in the film. I thought she was a delight to watch. It is really rare nowadays to see a leading Asian actress in a movie , especially a movie that is as engrossing and hilarious to watch. I was surprised to see Virginia Madsen put in a terrific performance considering some of her past work has been some really cheesy Lifetime tv movies. One of my favorite scenes is when Miles retrieves Jack's wallet towards the end of the trip. That was laugh out loud funny. I also loved it when Miles and Jack create an excuse for why Jack's nose is broken. "Sideways" is one of the few films that definitely lives up to the hype. Definitely one of the best comedies of this year.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What's wrong with me then for liking this?, January 11, 2008
I realize this movie has come and gone but over the last year I've really grown to love it and after reading some of the reviews that this movie was so poor I felt compelled to give my opinion.
First, what's with the "boring" film thing, if you want exciting I don't know, rent something that's supposed to be exciting with explosions and Bruce Willis. Or if you find it morally ambiguous, consider what movies the director traditionally makes, Election, About Schmidt, these are somewhat dark, slow, depressing movies, rent something with Larry The Cable Guy if that's your thing; point is a little research prevents bad movie choices.
At 28 what I like about this movie is that it recognizes that life is messy and complicated. Considering my limited life experience I recognize that getting older doesn't automatically make someone perfect, responsible, and ethical. Cheating on spouses is not for me, but I've known couples (one of which many would describe as a good couple) who've cheated on each other. I'm not saying this is right but the point is I think people should be able to see some aspects of this story that are similar to their lives. Have you ever had a hard time getting over someone, or has one of your friends??? Ever know anyone who's unable to admit about a problem or won't admit they are in a rut?? I think lots of people feel like this, including myself; the point is there are those moments that give you hope. I'm speaking specifically about Miles in this movie, at one point in time he was much better, (though weak, he did cheat on his wife) Jack describes an entirely cheerier person. Miles reluctantly goes on this trip and is almost literally forced to recognize Mia as prospective relationship; this is ultimately positive, a reminder that opportunities for happiness are all around us if we choose to acknowledge that we are unhappy, in ruts, and are brave enough to follow them out. I know Miles does some despicable things, but somewhere he knows there is a person he wishes he could be, someone who does not just settle down, have a family, and eventually be married 50 years to their fat friend who they argue with constantly and live in there own worlds of denial. I feel I have hope for people in general; I look at the characters in the movie and think they want to be happy and hopefully they deal with the problems in their life.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Giamatti Shines, April 2, 2007
The medium of the cinema can be entertaining as well as educational, and when it's done well, a film can be both. Such is the case with "Sideways," directed by Alexander Payne, who also wrote the screenplay, which he adapted from the novel by Rex Pickett.
Jack (Thomas Haden Church), an actor whose "star" peaked some eleven years earlier and who now ekes out a living primarily doing commercials, is about to be married. With one week to go before the big day, his best man/friend/former college roommate, Miles (Paul Giamatti), has cooked up a trip to California's wine country, where he proposes a week of friendship, good wine, good food and golf as a send-off for Jack into that most blessed state of matrimony.
As is often the case with the hand that Life deals us, however, the week does not quite go as planned, for a couple of reasons: First, though Miles proclaims this week to be about Jack, Miles is battling his own demons of depression, which have plagued him for going on two years now, ever since his divorce from his beloved Victoria (Jessica Hecht). In addition to which, although he makes his living as an Eighth-Grade English Teacher, Miles is also an aspiring novelist, who happens to be waiting for a call from his agent, who has a publisher interested in the novel Miles has been working on for more than three years. So there is an ulterior motive for Miles at work here; a wine connoisseur, he's taking Jack into country that is not only familiar to him, but is without question a "comfort zone" for Miles, who desperately needs a temporary respite from his own cares right now.
The other problem is that Jack has an inflated ego and an overactive libido, a potent combination that quickly dictates an alternate plan of action for the week. Jack, it seems, is bent on sowing every last wild oat that remains, active or dormant, within him, before his impending nuptials scheduled for the following Saturday. Soon he is involved with Stephanie (Sandra Oh), who works pouring samples of wine for visitors at one of the first vineyards to which Miles takes Jack on their tour.
Jack then successfully devises a plan that gets Miles involved with Maya (Virginia Madsen), a waitress at one of the restaurants Miles frequents on his visits to this part of the world. Maya also happens to be a recent divorcee who is working on her Master's in Horticulture at one of the local colleges, as well as being a wine connoisseur in her own right and a friend of Stephanie's to boot. All of which sounds like the makings of a good time for all, with one exception: Jack conveniently fails to tell Stephanie that he is about to be married.
Bad move, Jack...
In "Sideways," Payne has created a highly entertaining and emotionally involving film with characters and situations to which a broad cross-section of viewers will readily be able to relate and identify. Payne has an eye for nuance and subtlety, which makes his film- essentially a character study- a succinct examination of the human condition.
Subtlety and nuance is exactly what Paul Giamatti brings to the role of Miles, as well. It's a performance that is so real it's almost excruciatingly so at times, but it makes Miles someone you can empathize with. Giamatti creates a sympathetic character you can't help but root for on this vast wilderness of a stage we call life; it's a performance that should easily have earned him an Oscar for Best Actor.
Haden Church does an exemplary job, too, as Jack. He imbues his character with such believable self-centered shallowness that you want to laugh at him and hit him at the same time. The rub is, Jack knows what he's doing, but simply can't help himself; so in the end you may find yourself sympathizing with him anyway, because Haden Church presents Jack as someone who just does not possess the intellectual capacity to do otherwise, which somehow makes you want to let him off the hook. You realize that this is just Jack honestly being who he is. And it takes a good performance to get you as a viewer to that place.
The striking Virginia Madsen does a good job, as well, as Maya, creating a character that is a perfect counterpart to the Miles created by Giamatti. And Sandra Oh, currently riding a surging wave of popularity due to her role on televisions "Grey's Anatomy," brings some definite pizzazz to her role of Stephanie, successfully displaying her character's spirit, while at the same time exposing a decidedly vulnerable side of her.
The supporting cast includes Missy Doty (Cammi), M.C. Gainey (Cammi's husband), Patrick Gallagher (Gary the bartender), Marylouise Burke (Mile's mother), Alysia Reiner (Christine) and Stephanie Faracy (Stephanie's mother).
A film that lends itself to repeated viewings, "Sideways" is one of those gems that makes you appreciate not only the artists involved, as well as the art of filmmaking, but the medium itself. I like this movie more every time I see it.
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