Sideways (Alexander Payne, 2004) Paul Giamatti, Thomas Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh; blurb: Two men reaching middle age with not much to show but disappointment embark on a week-long road trip through California's wine country, just as one is about to take a trip down the aisle.
This is all about wine, of which Giamatti drinks heroic amounts while raving on about the thin skins of the pinot berry, etc. It's a silly story about men not engaging responsibly in their relationships with woman. Payne directs one scene in which Church is bonking his (Payne's) then wife, Sandra Oh. Apparently they divorced two years later, not surprisingly. Maybe the theme is a touch autobiographical (tho the story is from a novel not written by Payne). It was highly regarded in its year, nommed for Oscar Best Movie. (Payne must be well connected in LA.) I didn't mind seeing it again, but Citizen Kane it's not. (Yet another story about a writer, by the way.)
Garry Gillard | reviews | New: 30 April, 2017 | Now: 23 August, 2022