On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 3/126 |
Kim Hollis |
Funny, poignant, sad - just a wonderful, grown-up film. |
| 4/48 |
Les Winan |
Paul Giamatti is as good as they come. Alexander Payne has yet to disappoint, though his penchant for startling nudity is a concern. |
| 23/133 |
Dan Krovich |
A buddy road movie that hits the mark |
Miles Faymond is a failed novelist who teaches junior high school English. His best friend, a washed-up, former hot actor named Jack, is just about to head to the altar. In an effort to salute what remains of their youth, the pair takes a final road trip during the week before Jack is to be married. Because Miles is bound and determined to teach his friend about the Pinot Noir wines of the region before the week is over, they head to California's Santa Ynez Valley for a wine-tasting trip.
Though Jack makes an effort to enjoy the wine-tasting for Miles' benefit, the soon-to-be-former bachelor is most interested in living it up in his final days of freedom. Before long, things are going terribly wrong. To start with, Miles is taking mood levelers and is still dealing with the emotional baggage of a messy divorce. Meanwhile, Jack is sleeping around with all of the wine pourers and considers calling off his impending vows.
Sideways is the brainchild of the duo responsible for both Election and About Schmidt, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor. As with those previous films, the pair wrote the screenplay together and Payne directs. The stars of the film are Paul Giamatti, who received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Harvey Pekar in American Splendor, and the always underrated Thomas Haden Church. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
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