Life Is Like A Good Bottle Of Wine
SIDEWAYS

RATING: A-

Starring Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh. Music by Rolfe Kent, Music Supervisor Donde Bastone, Costume Designer Wendy Chuck, Film Editor Kevin Tent, Production Designer Jane Ann Stewart, Director of Photography Phedon Papamichael, Co-Producer George Parra, Produced by Michael London, Based on the novel by Rex Pickett, Screenplay by Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor, Directed by Alexander Payne.

Rated R, Running Time 124 mins., 1.85 to 1 Academy Standard Aspect Ratio.

Early in Sideways Paul Giamatti stops by his mother's home to spend the night and wish her a Happy Birthday before he and a friend embark on a road trip. Sneaking up to her bedroom, he appears to slip a few bucks in her dresser drawer when actually he's pocketing a few of her dollars for himself. Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror he reveals just what a pathetic individual he really is. Giamatti first caught my eye as 'Pig Vomit' the villain of Howard Stern's Private Parts and has continued to work his way under the radar in memorable supporting roles in almost every genre. He received much well deserved praise for his portrayal of Harvey Pekar in last year's critical favorite American Splendor, but I think he's found the role of a lifetime as Miles in Alexander Payne's Sideways. An eighth-grade English teacher and aspiring novelist, it's initially hard to get a read on Miles because of his defeated demeanor and the fact that he only feels alive while drinking. Though he may drown his sorrows over his bitter divorce with his wife and the fact that his agent can't get his book published, Miles isn't an alcoholic but rather a wine aficionado chasing after the perfect Pinot.

Accompanying Miles on a wine tasting trip through the Santa Ynez Valley is Jack (Thomas Haden Church) an old college roommate and washed-up actor who's hoping to chase a few skirts one last week before his wedding. Throughout the trip Miles wastes his connoisseurship on Jack who seems to feel that all wines taste the same and just wants to get Miles laid so he can come out of his two year depression. Although these two may seem incompatible a slacker-surfer type and a depressed, whiny snob--these two obviously have a lot of love for each other--a bond forged during adolescence in a time when they were discovering themselves. They're on a road trip, but what initially appears to be a buddy movie, takes a detour when two beautiful and intelligent creatures cross their path.

Virginia Madsen, in the most soulful role of her career, is Maya, a waitress who Miles has crossed paths with during his wine trips but never decided to take the next step with. That is until a little intervention by Jack, who sets himself and Miles up on a double date with Maya and her friend Stephanie (Sandra Oh) a local wine pourer who has as strong a sexual appetite as he does.

Church's career is mainly rooted in television with starring roles in Wings, Ned and Stacy and as Lyle Van de Groot in George of the Jungle. He basically plays the resident a**hole of whatever story he's in, but this is the first time he's played an obnoxious character with such bravado. Jack knows he's a failed actor, he knows that doing voice-over work won't cut it for so long, but he still has his machismo and magnetism that attracts women like Stephanie, his new playmate. He want to live in a fantasy world even if its for a short while and even considers settling down with Stephanie and her daughter, even though he has a fiancée waiting for him several hours away. He won't deny that part of himself because its all he has and what he's good at. After Stephanie discovers he's engaged, he gets excited when an overweight waitress recognizes him as an actor and is soon in her bed. Payne has stated that many known actors have wanted to star in this film but I can not imagine someone other than Church in this role because its as if he lives in this guy's skin.

While Jack finds a new playmate in Stephanie, Miles finds a kindred spirit in Maya who's pursuing her degree in horticulture and is as much a sophisticate as he is. He explains to her his fascination with Pinot lies in the fact that its temperamental, thin-skinned and in need of care and attention. He's obviously describing himself but it's also what Maya is attracted to. Giamatti has often used his wide-eyes for comic effect but he's also a master at using them to hide behind, to show hesitation and then regret, which is painfully obvious when Maya carnally describes her appreciation of wine and gives him the opportunity to make a pass, moment he allows to slip by.

Alexander Payne's previous features were full of characters just as pathetic as Miles but the way they were presented, made you look down upon them. The cynicism and sarcasm present within Citizen Ruth, Election and About Schmidt is not present here because these characters are well rounded and developed as flesh and blood individuals. Even though the characters may confront regret and sorrow, the situations they find themselves in are completely comedic and actually escalate throughout the film. What's interesting is that what initially appears to be a road movie about pathetic and shallow characters evolves into a comedy with individuals full of depth and dimension. Some of the humor is sly and sneaks on you from behind and some of it may hit you in the face, such as when Jack convinces Miles to sneak back into the home of that waitress to retrieve his wallet in his jeans after her old man caught the two of them.

Much credit should go to Payne for casting small-name actors (including his real life wife Oh, an underrated comedienne) in roles that would have been wasted on familiar faces who probably would have chosen to act for the camera instead of create real characters for the audience and most importantly, the story. It's a treat to see Madsen again in a real role, Church is a revelation and Giamatti gives the best performance by an actor that I've seen all year. As a self-defeating individual he always seems to work his way into my heart and give a performance of such clarity, that its easy to identify with him. What can I say, he's my hero.