45 out of 46 people found this review helpful.
Comedy????
Date of Review: Oct 8, 2005
The Bottom Line: I'm not typically so harsh with a movie rating. But, Sideways really disappointed me. I was expecting so much more and my expectations were dashed last night.
Comedy makes you laugh or, at the very least, smile. Sideways is listed as a COMEDY but it's totally depressing. If you're a wine enthusiast you might enjoy the wine paraphernalia in the scenes and character exchanges, but I did not have the fun I had hoped for with this movie. Not only is it not my idea of a good comedy, it isn't even my idea of a good movie.
Sideways was rated highly and I expected to enjoy it. My husband is a comedy enthusiast and he was REALLY disappointed with this movie. I'm just glad I rented the DVD instead of paying to see this in theaters, where I generally have higher expectations. In my opinion, movies are intended to entertain, educate or excel in emotional impact. A movie, like a book, should fulfill some purpose. Sideways is meaningless and fulfills neither of these expectations.
The story is simple enough. Too simple, in fact. Two middle aged men take a road trip to celebrate one man's upcoming marriage. Miles (Paul Giamatti), the wine connoisseur, who is also a unpublished, depressed writer who focuses most of his attention on his two-year old divorce, invites his friend, Jack (Thomas Haden Church), who is Miles total opposite, to celebrate Jack's upcoming wedding with a road trip. Miles plans to entertain Jack with a few visits to the wineries, a few rounds of golf and some pure, simple fun. Jack has a different idea of fun and this leads the two into trouble.
We are given enough character history to keep us yawning for weeks. Miles has been divorced from Victoria, the love of his life, for two years now. Sensitive guy that he is, Miles hasn't gotten over the past and he even seems to enjoy swimming around in the murky waters of painful memories. His heartbreak is obvious, but there is a time for letting go and moving on. Jack is determined to teach Miles how to move on and have some fun (according to viewpoint) himself.
Jack is the classic middle aged male going through mid-life crisis. He is the sort of character that couldn't be described as funny due to his narcism and self absorption. He tries to be funny, but the only real emotion I might muster for this guy is complete sympathy. He is pathetic, as is Miles... both bound to pasts by strings of selfishness and self deceit. Not that I don't pity them, but these guys are simply too pitiful to relate to. Of course, I am female and that could be one factor that made this movie into something of a boring venture for me.
After struggling with Miles' boring (from Jack's viewpoint) adventures into restaurants, wineries and hotels for a time, fun-loving Jack decides he's going to show Miles how to have a really good time. This, naturally, involves testing their male prowess with a couple of women they meet on their journey.
The women involved include Mia (Virginia Madsen) and Stephanie (Sandra Oh), both of whom are single and reside near the wineries. Mia and Stephanie enjoy tasting the wines as much as Jack and Miles do. After a night of sampling and dining, Stephanie invites the two men to her place for a few more rounds of wine experimentation. Jack and Stephanie become involved in more than wine samples, while Miles and Mia begin to get to know each other better. I did enjoy a few of the Miles & Mia scenes, but not more than ONE STAR's worth.
The story isn't unique or meaningful and the wry humor simply isn't something that I could relate to. Some people will undoubtedly enjoy this film, but I don't share their enthusiasm for this one. I found the characters to be boring and ineffectual. The female characters weren't nearly as boring to me, though. So, as I said, this may be a gender related issue. The "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venice" thing.
Sideways should have been a great movie. The film and it's cast have won numerous awards, so I'm obviously missing something that someone else found value in. Maybe I just don't have what it takes to be a movie critic. But from personal viewpoint, this movie isn't just an attempt to show the most obvious characteristics of two men at that mid-life crisis stage. It is just TOO obvious and TOO simple. Anyone could have written this story and that is what makes it so boring. It's a new movie, but it has nothing new or unique to share and it isn't even funny. Like wine, I suppose it's all a matter of taste. I haven't the palette for this one.
The awards given to Sideways include 2005 Academy Award for Best Writing Adapted Screenplay, 2005 Academy Award: Best Supporting Actor nominee - Thomas Haden Church. 2005 Academy Award: Best Supporting Actress Nominee - Virginia Madsen, 2005 Academy Award: Best Picture Nominee, 2005 Academy Award: Best Director nominee: Alexander Payne, 2005 Independent Spirit Awards: Best Feature, 2005 Independent Spirit Awards: Best Director: Alexander Payne, 2005 Independent Spirit Awards: Best Male Lead: Paul Giamatti, 2005 Independent Spirit Awards: Best Supporting Male: Thomas Haden Church, and 2005 Independent Spirit Awards: Best Supporting Female: Virginia Madsen.
The Players: Paul Giamatti (Miles), Thomas Haden Church (Jack), Virginia Madsen (Mia), Sandra Oh (Stephanie), Marylouise Burke, Jessica Hecht, Missy Doty, M.C. Gainey, Alysia Reiner, Shake Toukhmanian, Duke Moosekian, Robert Covarrubias, Patrick Gallagher and Stephanie Faracy. Sideways is listed in the Comedy genre and is rated R for language, some strong sexual content and nudity.
I admit that I'm not a wine connoisseur or a movie critic. But, after sampling Sideways, I doubt I'd want to pursue either of these goals. The only thing I truly enjoyed within these scenes were a few of the wine descriptions provided by the actors and some nice scenery. Ultimately, I found Sideways to be a sleep inducing comedy that shouldn't be listed beneath the comedy genre. It might be listed under INDEPENDENT. But, Comedy? Give me a break!
Mid-life crisis age men and wine connoisseurs may disagree with my one star rating. Some women may too. Personally, though... Sideways is not a comedy and it definitely is not worth your movie viewing time. That is, unless you would like to take a nice nap while the DVD is running.
Thanks for reading -
?2005 faithforever
