Movie Description
Following ABOUT SCHMIDT and ELECTION, Alexander Payne once again focuses on the comedy of personal tragedy in the hilarious and poignant SIDEWAYS. Paul Giamatti (AMERICAN SPLENDOR) plays Miles, the film's antihero, a failed author and self-defeatist who still pines for his ex-wife, who divorced him years before. Meanwhile, Miles's old friend Jack (Thomas Haden Church) is getting married, and the two set off on a bachelors' road trip through California wine country. While Miles looks forward to male bonding over the best bottles the vineyards can offer, Jack is a playful philanderer who just wants to get laid. Thus, this fortysomething odd couple find themselves in conflict, leading to a chaotic week of disagreements, miscast romance with some local women (Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh), and eventually, total meltdown.
Payne's artistic direction and excellent character construction will have viewers reeling with laughter, while also feeling true compassion for these two easy-to-read buddies. The film offers beautiful photography of the California countryside, some unique insight into the wine industry, and a soundtrack featuring tunes by Luna, Pat Travers, Bonnie Raitt, and others. Viewers will come away from SIDEWAYS with a smile on their faces, and a thirst for a nice glass of Pinot Noir.
| Credits | | Producer: | Michael London | | Cast: | Virginia Madsen |
| Details | | Edition: | Widescreen; Checkpoint |
Editorial Reviews
"[A] completely satisfying movie that quietly, gently blows you away. Exactly written, directed with a surgeon's precision and transcendently acted, SIDEWAYS brings emotional reality to a consistently amusing character comedy."
Los Angeles Times - Kenneth Turan (10/22/2004)
"This is a building-block movie: Its stand-out excellence becomes apparent only gradually..."
USA Today - Mike Clark (10/22/2004)
"[The film] fuses bracing wit and emotional gravity into something funny, touching and vital....Pure movie bliss."
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers (11/11/2004)
"It's an intoxicating feeling when a movie excites and enlivens us like this..."
Entertainment Weekly - Lisa Schwarzbaum (10/29/2004)
"[O]ne of the most incisive movies ever made about the intricacies of male bonding."
Movieline's Hollywood Life - Stephen Farber (12/01/2004)
"[A]s a painful, uproarious story of humanity, this is a perfectly contained cinematic experience."
Premiere - Glenn Kenny (02/01/2005)
"SIDEWAYS is a thoughtful, comic road movie about people going through some kind of breakdown."
Uncut - John Mulvey (02/01/2005)
"[T]he most likeable and affecting film that Payne has yet made."
Sight and Sound - Geoffrey Macnab (02/01/2005)
Ranked #5 in Uncut's Best Films Of 2005 -- "It's a heartbreaking study of life, loves and second chances, beautifully performed by the two leads."
Uncut - Uncut Staff (01/01/2006)
Awards
2004Academy AwardsBest Adapted ScreenplayJim Taylor
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