Sideways [Blu-ray] [2004] [US Import]

I agree with another reviewer, you do have to have lived a little to fully appreciate this film. If you have ever experienced rocky highs and lows, then you may well find something here for you. You don't have to be male to appreciate the struggles and poignancy contained herein.

All the characters are simply superb. Anyone who has felt on an emotional rollercoaster for whatever reason, will be able to feel for, as well as laugh with, the character Miles, who is played so superbly here. There is plenty of pathos and laughter to be found here, and the ridiculousness of the human condition is laid bare without the usual Hollywood gloss. Virginia Madsen is also simply wonderful in this. I finished watching this with a real regret that I would see no more of these wonderfully flawed and rich characters.

There are many moments in this film that are funny. The humour is in a recognition of our own humanity at best and worst. To see Miles (Giamatti) act as a man on the edge is a joy to behold. His loss and rejection reflects the difficulties we all face, and I like that the film deals with this in a very `un-Hollywood' way. How one moment we can lose it and feel utter despair, but, how we can be coaxed out of this a few minutes later by a good friend to feel something encroaching on normality again. This is a film that I will gladly watch again and again.

A simple premise - Jack is about to get married and his friend Miles takes him on a holiday of wine-tasting and golf. Except the holiday Jack has in mind has a slightly different emphasis. And it's the last thing Miles needs right now...

There are enough reviews on here without me adding to the details of the film, but I recommend you stick to reading the positive reviews. The negative ones seem to miss the point, going by some of their ridiculous criticisms...

'the characters are unlikeable'.
Actually, the characters are refreshingly human and believable. They have their good and bad sides, like all of us, and the actors draw out the humour in their flaws, and even sympathy where appropriate. Especially Paul Giametti as the intellectual wine-expert, Miles, who was clearly once a popular, amusing guy until the collapse of his marriage sent him into a tailspin of uncontrollable alcohol binges. Anyone who dismisses the film because the characters are 'dislikable' I suggest either has a mighty opinion of themselves, or, more likely, sees something of themselves in the characters.

'It isn't funny'
We don't all have the same sense of humour do we? There isn't a comedy or comedian on earth that everyone likes. I found Sideways funny, but the comedy is consistently and delightfully subtle. It emerges from the characters, it's sprinkled throughout the dialogue and it's brought beautifully to life by the leads' performances. Yes, it probably goes over the head of anyone looking for easy laughs without paying much attention and those that dislike dialogue-driven films. What I will say is that I find it funnier with each repeated viewing (and I've watched it several times now!).

'It's boring'
The film requires a modicum of patience and attention. If you can't be bothered to give it that then I would suggest that it is YOU who is boring.

The script is extraordinarily clever. It deservedly won an oscar and so too should have Giametti. His partnership with the oscar-nominated Haden-Church as the infantile actor, Jack, is a joy to watch unfold.

As I said, whether you find it funny depends on your sense of humour, but if you watch it with your brain out of gear and 'don't get it' then the fault is with you and not the film.

I really didn't care at all for the director's previous films. He was the sort of person who had absolutely no problem having unnecessary boring sections in his films. His interests, preoccupations and way of filming and presenting things were not for me. So I've always avoided Sideways and dismissed it as a boring film with a slim "story" inserted somewhere amongst two men drinking and talking about wine. The sort of thing that would get very tiresome after fifteen minutes.

I was reading a book about the new 90s/00s film directors called The Sundance Kids. It probably spent more pages talking about Sideways than it did any other film. My curiosity was piqued so I decided to watch the first ten minutes of my Dad's copy to see if it's any good. And it was. It was very good. It's far superior to his previous films.

The film is much more incident packed than I expected and the pace never drags. It has a definite sense of forward momentum at all times so we never get trapped for long stretches with nothing happening.

I fully recommend taking a chance on it even if you're not convinced by the look of it. The film it most resembles is Withnail and I, so if you like that film you should love this.