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Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

Writer-director Alexander Payne’s (“Citizen Ruth”/“Election”/“About
Schmidt”) very entertaining but thinly drawn romantic/comedy, buddy/road
movie, surprises (perhaps like a familiar wine that unexpectedly proves
to have a rich fruity taste) that it has more substance than what at first
appears to be only a frivolous tale. Sideways turns out to be a beautifully
realized but, nevertheless, all too familiar story about a pained man,
Miles (Paul Giamatti), not yet recovered from his divorce of two years
ago and who might be ready to pack things in as hopeless as he’s still
carrying the torch for his remarried ex-wife. Jim Taylor, the longtime
writer partner of Payne’s, again collaborates on the script that is based
on the novel by Rex Pickett.

Miles is a depressive, shlumpy, aspiring unpublished writer, who
supports himself by teaching English in a middle-school. Jack (Thomas Haden
Church) is a cheerful, hunky, superficial, washed-up former TV actor and
longtime friend of Miles’ since they were college roomies. They hook up
in their hometown of San Diego and go on a weeklong wine tasting, golfing,
and soulful heart-to-heart companionship trip through central California
wine country (around the environs of Santa Barbara) where wine connoisseur
Miles is in all his glory as he revisits his familiar haunts and samples
some pinot noir. The excuse for the trip is for the old friends to celebrate
together that Jack is getting married for the first time in a week. 

At one fine restaurant, The Hitching Post, Miles meets again the
attractive blonde Maya (Virginia Madsen), a waitress he remotely knows
who shares Miles’ love for wine. But Miles, at first, is too unsure of
himself to follow up the interest Maya shows him, despite Jack’s urgings.
Meanwhile Jack makes it clear that his mission on this trip is to get both
himself and his old pal laid, as the approaching middle aged womanizer
still can’t believe he’s soon-to-be-married and will have to give up his
swinger lifestyle. 

Jack hooks up with the free-spirited motorcycle riding Stephanie
(Sandra Oh, the director’s wife), a friend of Maya’s, who plays a feisty
single mom wine-pouring hostess for the tourists at the local vineyard.
They double-date, and Jack and Stephanie are doing the love thing as fast
as it takes to pour a glass of vintage wine. But Jack never bothers to
reveal his upcoming marriage, instead he professes his true love for her
and plans to relocate to start a wine business with her. Miles in the meantime
goes along with Jack’s lie that his novel has been published and eventually,
in due time, succeeds in scoring Maya by getting her to read his sensitive
manuscript. The film takes off in grand style when their deceits become
known. 

The great acting is the thing here, as the foursome all play their
roles with a controlled eye for getting to their character and keeping
with their characterizations. I was especially pleased with the nuanced
performances of Madsen and Church, and I was not disappointed by the usual
quality performances I have come to expect from both Oh and acclaimed character
actor Giamatti. It results in an honestly told relationship film, in a
genre that is hard for filmmakers to ever get right. Payne to his credit
leaves no bitter aftertastes with this delicious offering and has come
up with a quality film that deserves Oscar attention. Just by making everything
real and keeping a wry observing eye out for comparing the way wine ages
gracefully with the way the featured men are aging, makes this one of Payne’s
better efforts and a welcome contribution to fighting back against the
dumbing down of such familiar comedy fodder by so many mediocre studio
directors who are only after the next blockbuster. As the snobby wine-lover
Madsen character says about sampling a wine she favors “it tastes so fucking
good,” one can easily transfer that compliment to the movie.