Let's Go Wine-Tasting, No Merlot, in Alexander Payne's "Sideways"

Since his 1996 feature film debut for the abortion comedy Citizen Ruth, Nebraska filmmaker Alexander Payne brought a mix of Americana and irreverent offbeat humor to many of films often based on books that he and longtime co-writer Jim Taylor adapted into scripts. In 1999, Payne released a hilarious satire film entitled Election about a high school election gone insane that became a breakthrough for Payne as it won him loads of acclaim including the prestigious New Generation Award from the L.A. Film Critics Association. In 2002, Payne and Taylor released About Schmidt, based on the novel by Louis Bagley. A more harrowing film than his previous efforts, About Schmidt still contained its irreverent but restrained humor largely due to lead actor Jack Nicholson's surprisingly quiet, restrained performance as an old man dealing with age and his existence. The film was also a hit as Payne in 2004 reemerged with Taylor once again for another adaptation, this time for the Rex Pickett novel entitled Sideways.

Sideways is a movie about a failed novelist named Miles and his out-of-work actor buddy Jack going on a one-week trip to North California to sow their wild oats while trying out new wines in various winery places. With Jack getting married in a week, Miles tries to give him a last week of freedom only to learn more of his own failures while the men deal with everything about themselves. Then after meeting a couple of women in a town in North California, Miles deals with his own failures while trying to find some sense of hope and good wine. Starring Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, and Payne's real-life wife Sandra Oh. Sideways is one of the most original and heartfelt comedies of 2004.

Driving all the way from his home in San Diego to Los Angeles, a failed novelist and 8th Grade English teacher named Miles Raymond (Paul Giamatti) quickly drives to meet his best friend Jack (Thomas Haden Church) for an upcoming meeting for Jack's wedding with his girlfriend Christine (Alysia Reiner). After meeting Christine's Armenian family, Miles decides to leave with Jack for a week trip for a last-ditch effort to sow their wild oats before the wedding. On their way to the North of California for a chance to go to a wine exhibit to explore wine, they stop to stay at the home of Mile's mother (Marylouise Burke) one day before her birthday. Mile's mother who is happy to see Jack feeds the boys while Miles quietly steals his mother's money to his own disgust while confronting the picture of his wedding to his ex-wife Victoria (Jessica Hecht).

The next day, the two men leave to continue their journey where they take stops to examine wines. Miles, a wine expert of sorts, tries different wines for density and taste to see how much alcohol is there in balance with the fruits that are put. They stop at a town near Los Olivos where Miles and Jack where they chose to stay for the whole trip. They eat at a restaurant where serving as a waitress is Maya (Virginia Madsen), who knows Miles because of his knowledge of wines while Jack claims, they're celebrating because Miles' novel is going to get published. Miles couldn't believe Jack lied to Maya about the novel since he is trying to get it released. The next day at the town of Los Olivos where they continue to try wine, they meet a free-spirited wine expert in Stephanie (Sandra Oh), who is a friend of Maya.

Jack is smitten with Stephanie where Stephanie decides to go on a double date with the two and Maya where they discuss wine and all sorts of things. Miles though over drinks where he calls his ex-wife in a drunkenly state where later that night, he joins Jack, Maya, and Stephanie at Stephanie's house for more wine. With Jack and Stephanie making out more, Miles finds himself in deep conversations with the recent-divorced Maya where the two discuss wine along with their favorite brands of wine like Pino and Rochefort where Maya discusses how wine has a soul since it evolves. The next day with Miles wandering himself all alone and Jack, spending more quality time with Stephanie while trying to forget about Christine, Miles again goes into a drunken sad state where earlier, Jack stated that he's been depressed for two years.

The day after, Miles and Jack goes golfing where Jack tries to help Miles to get out of his depressing slump by going on a lunch with Maya and Stephanie while Jack admits, he's falling for Stephanie because of her free-spirited lifestyle and her daughter Siena (Natalie Carter). The four decide to eat lunch in the middle of the Californian fields while going to more wine exhibits where Miles and Maya begin to have more talks and eventually, the two make out as Jack's plan actually worked. The next day seemed fine as Miles and Maya spend time till Miles accidentally spills the bean on Jack's wedding. The day becomes worse for the two as Miles learns his book has been rejected leaving him in a sadder, drunken state and Stephanie learning about Jack's wedding where he got a broken nose. The day becomes worse where Jack flirts with a fat waitress named Cammi (Missy Doty) before getting into trouble with her husband (M.C. Gainey) where the two wonder where did everything go wrong while Miles wonder if there's any sense of happiness for his miserable life.

Where in previous films, Alexander Payne took the time to establish himself as a director with irreverent satires of Citizen Ruth and Election while blending comedy and drama for About Schmidt. In Sideways, Payne not only fulfills his potential but also now becomes the most leading American auteur filmmaker for his heartfelt view of humanity while finding its inane humor in the smallest of things. Payne brings a creatively intelligent film with stylized split-screens and wonderful images where he moves the camera into giving a wonderful yet complex view of America. With his longtime co-writer Jim Taylor, the film's script is filled with hilarious moments and lines along with great emphasis on wine tasting and the kind of wine that is good. This film will make thirsty for some wine but it's really an adult film with a nice balance of romance, drama, and restrained comedy where Payne and Taylor bring out their best work to date where they click with every funny and sad moment in the right places.

Helping Payne with his vision is cinematographer Phedon Papamichael who beautifully captures the wonderful world of California wine fields and the Californian towns, which has a sense of purity and color that is truly imaginative. With Payne's longtime editor Kevin Tent bringing in a nice, masterful editing style in tune with the multiple-screen shots in the film, the film moves nicely as it doesn't move too slow or too fast for Payne's subtle, sublime story. Helping out more in the visuals is Payne's longtime art team of production designer Jane Ann Stewart and art director T.K. Kirkpatrick for giving a nice detailed view of the Californian wine world with its tan-like colors and wooden images where the movie gives you that great feeling that you're in a winery while longtime costume designer helps give personality to the clothing for its characters.

Then there's the film's music from longtime Payne collaborator Rolfe Kent who brings a lovely jazz score filled with bouncy rhythms and touches of melancholia that serves as an accompaniment to the varied mood of Miles along with music from Bonnie Raitt and Luna.

Then there's the film memorable if small cast, which includes some nice performances from Marylouise Burke as Mile's mother, Jessica Hecht as Victoria, Alysia Reiner as Christine, and Missy Doty as Cammi. Still, the film revolves solely on its four main actors. Sandra Oh is vibrantly amazing as the free-spirited Stephanie with her whimsical expertise on wine and down-home sense of humor while being vivacious in her sexiness as she carries some great scenes with Thomas Haden Church while stealing the show in the scene where she breaks his nose. Virginia Madsen truly gives the greatest performance of her career as the soulful Maya with her love for wine and life. Madsen not only brings great chemistry with Paul Giamatti but a wonderful depth in their conversation scenes as Madsen glows in her understatedly, rich performance as she and Oh are both worthy for Supporting Actress nods in the Oscars.

Thomas Haden Church is hilarious and amazing as the chauvinist Jack with his selfish, egomaniacal ways and immature behaviors. Church is really the comedy of the movie by doing stupid things where he and Giamatti have great scenes despite their different personalities where Church also has depth where he's trying to protect Christine from his affairs with Stephanie. Church is just filled with depth in his comedy, as he also deserves some recognition for his performance. Paul Giamatti is the film's best performance for his complex mix of emotionally depressed and self-defeating in the role of Miles. Giamatti shows that his performance in 2003's American Splendor was no fluke where he uses his shadowy eyes and face to bring out every sense of sadness into his role. While he maybe the role of a loser (though Church is playing the bigger loser), Giamatti brings sympathy to his role despite his selfishness and self-loathing where he also carries a sense of charm and heart as this role tops his performance of Harvey Pekar from American Splendor where Giamatti hopefully gets the Oscar nomination for Best Actor that he was overlooked for.

Sideways is a funny, warm masterpiece from Alexander Payne and company with great performances from Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, and Sandra Oh. Thanks to Payne's subtle, restrained humor and warm drama filled with romance and life lessons, the film is one of the brightest pieces of American cinema as Payne now becomes a director with a vast imagination. While not as funny in some parts in comparison to previous films, Sideways works more in its mix while giving away some great emphasis on wine tasting. If there's a nice movie that you can laugh and be moved at while getting a fine taste of wine, I recommend Rochefort, Sideways is the movie to go see.

Alexander Payne Reviews:

Citizen Ruth (1996):

http://www.epinions.com/content_179382750852

Election (1999):

(Coming Soon)

About Schmidt (2002):

http://www.epinions.com/content_124880064132