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Kevin Michael Vance
Writer - Portland, Oregon
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Title: SIDEWAYS
Director: Alexander Payne
Year: 2004
Reviewed: April 13, 2005
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Four Course Meal-Highest Rating |
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What a wonderful film. What a marvelous movie. I give "Sideways" a FOUR COURSE MEAL review.
True… this movie affected me greatly, (there were episodes in the film where I wanted to openly weep) partly because the main character, played brilliantly by Paul Giamatti, is a struggling writer, whose plight, harkened very similarly to my own. (Barring the tantrums, stealing, and general skittish insecurities… well, okay… I have insecurities. But they're not skittish!) And Giamatti is another one of those actors, like Cheadle and Platt, that I relish watching, even when the movie he's in, isn't that great. But the script is deft, funny, intensely introspective, sad and depressing, and intelligent. The acting is superb, by the entire cast, and I might add, Giamatti and Church are perfectly cast. The pacing is magnificent, neither too fast nor too slow. Church is hilarious. Oh is nasty, but in a good way. And Madsen is all together amazing. She will make you love wine, or blonds… or both. This is a movie about four people trying to find themselves in romance and life. This is the kind of movie that "Closer" (see review) could never be, even on its best day. Why? Because "Sideways" is real, every part, every bit of celluloid in this film smacks of realism. It is not pretentious or boring. It just simply… is. And this makes it remarkable. In a day and an age where Hollywood films are long on vacuous special effects and short on intelligence, "Sideways" is like a sip of deep, somber, oaky Pinot.
Granted, I do have one critique. And this is a spoiler… so, if you haven't seen the movie, and intend to, read no further. The scene with Giamatti's character where he steals money from his wacky mother is completely unneeded, irrelevant, and superfluous. Furthermore, it's heavy handed. I understand the director wants me to understand that Giamatti's character is not perfect, that he's fallible, which lends to his humanity. But we get that through the ENTIRE film. It is evinced that neither Giamatti's character, nor Church's character are paragons of civility and politeness. You do not have to make him a thief, stealing from his mother for Christ's sake! I mean, that's just ridiculous. You might as well have him stealing crutches from a cripple.
However, this one lapse in judgment does not bring the movie as a whole down. It's that good.
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