Sideways

UK Release Date. 28 January 2005
Certification. 15
Running Time. 2 hours 7 mins
Director. Alexander Payne
Cast. Thomas Haden Church, Paul Giamatti, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh.
Rating. 71%

Review.

On paper, a film about a seven-day tour of Santa Barbara's wine country with an unpublished author, wine connoisseur and unashamed misanthrope and a former soap actor and ageing voice-over artist ahead of the latter's impending marriage would seem to have little more than niche appeal. Certainly not my glass of pinot noir. But Alexander Payne's wonderfully original Sideways gently drew me in thanks to one of the most important elements of storytelling - brilliantly observed characters. 

Miles Raymond (Paul Giamatti) is the morose, divorced, unfulfilled unpublished novelist, with an encyclopaedic knowledge of wine and his long-time friend, Jack Cole (Thomas Haden Church) is the actor whose rugged good looks are starting to fade, but would seem intent on using this as an excuse to cram as much sex as possible into his final week of single life. 

Making characters interesting is one thing; making them likeable is another, and Alexander Payne and his long-time screenwriter Jim Taylor, achieve this not in spite of, but because of, their flaws. It is quite a feat - Miles and Jack don't so much get under your skin, as climb inside your heart.

The perfectly calibrated screenplay adapted from Rex Pickett's 2004 novel of the same name manages the rare feat of making each character feel three-dimensional regardless of the amount of screen time afforded. Alongside Miles and Jack, Maya (Virginia Madsen) and Stephanie (Sandra Oh) are fleeting presences compared to the main duo, and yet, the moments they have on-screen illuminate who they are and how they got here. The scene in which Miles and Maya discuss wine preferences on the front porch is the best example of this and the one that most likely solidified the Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role nomination for Virginia Madsen.

The scene is initially framed around Miles, who delivers a monologue about the virtues of pinot noir, inadvertently describing himself in the process. I have to say, it is a gorgeous piece of writing, and Paul Giamatti nails the tonal balance of being flustered by Maya's presence but eager to share his thoughts with someone who actually knows their wine. A brief pause before the focus shifts to Maya, who describes her experiences with wine. Stacking a monologue on top of another monologue rarely works in cinema, yet the delicate, unpretentious writing turns a simple exchange into the film's emotional centrepiece. One that is worth the admission price alone.

Alexander Payne's films routinely scratch the itch of the awkwardly, painfully funny, but Sideways remains, for many, his most impressive. The film earned five Academy Award nominations in 2005, winning Best Adapted Screenplay. Nearly two decades after Sideways was released, the film is still an enjoyable experience. Dare I say, perhaps, a film that has aged well like an elegant and opulent pinot noir?