Sideways

Sideways is a very, very nice little film that doesn’t pretend to be artsy and, despite all of its sophistication, it doesn’t shy away from vulgar and dry humour. You’ll get to know the pair of lead characters on such a personal level that they’ll become your friends. And you’ll experience so many comical and sad real-life moments with them that you’ll leave the cinema more satisfied than after any other film far and wide. I was pleasantly surprised by the level of humor, which elicited belly laughs in the last stage (the wallet). It’s regrettable that the Academy ignored Paul Giamatti’s brilliant performance. I’m giving Sideways a similarly strong four stars as in the case of And Your Mother Too. (10/02/2005)

This film is like wine, but not you drink it out of a carton like a bum in front of the supermarket, but like, for example, Richebourg vintage ´61 in a nice place, with light notes of jazz in the background and an attractive lady across the table. The label "comedy" is misleading, this is not a film that would elicit volleys of laughter from start to finish, but very pleasantly flowing entertainment with polished dialogue and wonderful actors. Just my cup of tea. The Oscar for screenplay is very well deserved, and as for Giamatti, it's called a 'role of a lifetime'. (09/01/2008)

The soundtrack, composed for Sideways by one of my favorite contemporary composers, Rolfe Kent, has been one I've loved for years, know by heart and can't get enough of. This wonderful jazz-scented music is playful, melancholic, sensitive, funny... Essentially, it uses almost all existing moods and always feels suitable. Well, after today, it's clear that the film is in terms of having the same mood. A pleasantly truthful spectacle, definitely not moralizing, definitely not explosively funny and, despite the two-hour runtime, it’s also not too long. A sunny film, in which it does rain a few times, but what can you do? When it rains, you should wait for the sun to shine again, right? Superbly acted, filmed and, of course, also scored. However, I can't help it, I liked A Good Year better. (19/10/2013)

Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, and Paul Giamatti. This is simply a concert trio that has put on an incredibly casual acting performance, with two of them (Madsen and Church) even being able to reach for an Oscar, but only ended up with a nomination. I must admit, I'm quite surprised that Giamatti wasn't nominated as well, but maybe it would have been too much, three nominations for acting in one film. However, that doesn't change the fact that you want to watch the movie for the characters that the actors play. Or rather, who the actors are. Miles and Jack are friends, even though they are very different. Jack is getting married and goes on a trip with Miles for a week, where they should have a good time. Jack wants to make it big and have a good time with a woman. He's getting married, but who cares, he still has doubts, so he wants to make sure who he really loves. Miles is completely different from Jack. He's more introverted, a wine expert trying to make it as a writer, but it's not working out for him. He's recovering from his divorce two years ago and still can't get it together. Plus, he has to steal money from his old mother just to have some. They go on a wine trip together, and Jack teaches him how to appreciate wine. I have to say, even though the movie isn't focused on wine like "Bobule," you learn quite a lot about wine here. You can get to know each other over wine, so Jack meets Stephanie and goes to dinner with her, Miles, and Maya, who is clearly into Miles. Jack realizes who he actually loves, and Miles realizes that he still has a lot unresolved. "Sideways" is based on dialogues and human fates. Alexander Payne once again proves how great of a screenwriter he is, and the two Oscars for the screenplays (one for "Sideways" and another for "The Descendants") are completely justified. Beautiful little stories about people who aren't stars at first sight, but their fates are more interesting than those of most celebrities. It's a beautiful film that simply captivated me. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/11/arbitrage-interview-male-deti-neznamy.html (02/03/2013)

A peculiar mix of life's moments that, to a greater or lesser extent, will be encountered by the vast majority of us. Giamatti in top form and probably in the best role of his career, Haden Church for a change in his only proper (big) role, if we don't count the bland villain from the big-budget Spiderman. Payne mixes just the right amount of comedy, a moderate amount of fucks, and the perfect amount of wine that will leave the viewer tipsy but not so drunk that they won't like it anymore. In places, the overlong running time bothers just a little, and the delivery of some of the actors, with the exception of Giamatti, isn’t quite perfect. Between 3 and 4 stars. A pretty successful tasting. (28/09/2022)