Review: Sideways (***)

SIDEWAYS
A film review by Steve Rhodes

Copyright 2004 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****): ***


In SIDEWAYS, director Alexander Payne (CITIZEN RUTH, ABOUT SCHMIDT and
ELECTION), takes fewer risks than he normally does, coming up with a
soft-edged but thoroughly satisfying film. But Payne continues with his
predilection from ABOUT SCHMIDT in trying to shock us with full frontal
shots of naked fat people. SIDEWAYS's most memorable visual has an
overweight, irate husband, chasing a car as his private part flaps away.
About as controversial as the rest of the story gets is some insulting
things said about mass produced wines.



Miles (Paul Giamatti, AMERICAN SPLENDOR) and Jack (Thomas Haden Church) are
two old buddies from college who head north from San Diego. It's the week
before Jack's marriage to a wealthy young woman, and they plan on spending
it wine tasting. The ex-star of the television show "One Life to Live,"
Jack is a washed up actor now doing occasional voice-over work for
commercials, hawking low cost loans and miracle cures. Ruggedly handsome
like an old surfer, Jack's lingo is full of "dudes" and "chicks." A
gregarious guy, his libido is as large as his intellect is small. Church
makes Jack into such a likeable playboy that he steals scenes left and right
from the obviously more talented Giamatti. A funny fellow, Jack asks Miles
during a double date, "Did you drink and dial?" after an inebriated Miles
slips away to call his ex during a dinner in which Jack wants Miles to be
hitting on Miles's date rather the payphone keypad.



The sharply written script does a marvelous job of skewering wine snobs.
Miles, an aspiring writer who has a thing for Pinot like some men have a
preference for blondes, speaks in a dialect of wine babble that is baffling
to non-wine aficionados. "Quaffable but far from transcendent" is one of
Miles's putdowns of a wine that doesn't measure up to his strict standards.
He may know his grapes, but women are another matter entirely. He has eyes
for a waitress named Maya (Virginia Madsen) but lacks the resolve and
courage to make a move. But with Jack about to bed Stephanie (Sandra Oh), a
friend of Maya's, maybe Miles will finally trade his love of things that
come in bottle for those that come in a dress.



The people in SIDEWAYS are genuine, and, while the relationships are funny,
they are all believable. As our middle-age lads relive their youth, touring
the picturesque highway in Miles's red Saab convertible, we are there
vicariously with them, reliving our own youth. SIDEWAYS never rises to the
level of ELECTION or ABOUT SCHMIDT, but it is a satisfying journey that
you'll be glad you took.



SIDEWAYS runs 2:06. It is rated R for "language, some strong sexual content
and nudity" and would be acceptable for teenagers.



The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, October 29, 2004.
In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century
theaters and the Camera Cinemas.



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