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Sideways

January 25, 2005

Sideways
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Hayden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh, Jessica Hecht

I don't know, maybe I was the wrong demographic for this movie. I am not going through a mid-life crisis (like the characters are), I am not into wine, and I can't get behind a character who's main goal the weekend before his wedding is to sleep with as many girls as possible. But that shouldn't matter. I love Alexander Payne's movie Election and I am not a high school girl or a teacher going through a mid-life crisis, and I was able to get behind a character who's main goal it was to have an affair with the neighbor and destroy a snotty high school senior. Election borders on genius as far as I am concerned. I also liked Payne's other films Citizen Ruth and found About Schmidt to be slow in parts but overall amusing (how can you not laugh every time Jack Nicholson says "Dear Ndugu...")

That being said, I think I had expectations for this movie to be very funny. I am not a huge fan of Paul Giamatti (Miles) but I do think he is a very good actor. As for Thomas Hayden Church (Jack), I can take him or leave him. He was barely tolerable as Lowell on TV's "Wings" but at least on that show his character was harmless, in Sideways he is a complete asshole. It bothered me that the week before Jack's wedding he just wants to screw as many women as possible and has no qualms about it. He also doesn't care that he is making one woman and her kid fall for him hard knowing that he is just going to dump her in a week. I also didn't like that Miles (Paul Giamatti) condoned this behavior. Perhaps he didn't condone it, per se, but he did nothing to stop it which is just as bad. Plus, Jack was mean to Miles and basically treats him like crap the entire movie. Why am I supposed to like this movie again? There were a few funny moments and one very good scene where Virginia Madsen is detailing the first time he fell in love with wine but overall I found the movie to be a disappointment. It felt so damn long, I just wanted it to end¹ but it never did (well, it did eventually but it was about 45 minutes too late).

I can't recommend this film. I know it is receiving amazing buzz but I found it tedious and dull.

My Grade: C+

¹ Sergio, do not go see this movie. You will hate it, trust me.

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