By Henry Badger
Director Alexander Payne delivers an excellently aged American classic which delivers the same exquisite emotional firepower and stellar acting performances intended for cinema goers over fifteen years ago.
Every so often a film can deliver a masterclass cinematic experience, and Sideways accomplishes just that. Director Alexander Payne, following his excellent 1999 dark comedy Election, beautifully portrays adulthood, friendship and mid-life crises through this 2004 Academy Award winning film for Best Screenplay, Sideways. This film, which supposedly increased Pinot Noir sales and total California Pinot production by 16% and 170% respectively, certainly has a vital place in American cinema for years to come.
Sideways centers around two characters: Miles and Jack. Miles (Paul Giamatti), an 8th grade English teacher, is considered by all capitalistic standards – a failure. Heartbroken about his divorce and disparaged with an anticipated publishing deal that never seems to materialise, he has slipped into a depression that requires the American pharmaceutical assistance of Xanax. Miles is far from perfect, but he is sensitive, well-intentioned and has a devout passion and absurdly encyclopedic knowledge of wine. Contrastingly, Jack (Thomas Haden Church) is a soon-to-be-married, relatively unsuccessful actor with problematic attitudes. Highly chauvinistic and unlikeable, Jack is determined to celebrate, in his words, a final week of ‘freedom’ by partying in the Californian wine country, specifically the Santa Ynez Valley, before his wedding date. Inevitably, these two characters depart on their adventure with polar opposite intentions, consequently meeting soft-hearted, intelligent waitress Maya and winery pourer Stephanie, superbly acted by Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh. Driving from tasting to tasting, Miles anticipates an examination into the inner beauties of wine (absolutely not Merlot, though), perhaps indulging in a few rounds of friendly golf along the way; perfectly satisfied with supermarket box wine, Jack’s primary objective is breaking loyalty with his supposite life-long partner. If this isn’t a recipe for miscommunication and disaster, it’s hard to say what is.
With stellar acting performances from all, these four characters subtly deliver wide-ranging moments ranging from endearingly touching to rock-bottom despair. The best scene in the film – involving Giamatti and Hansen – presents the simple question: why do you like Pinot Noir? In one of the most heart-rending and tender minutes I’ve seen in cinema, Miles praises the wine’s grapes for being vulnerable, temperamental and in need of ‘constant care and attention’; only those that take the time to truly understand Pinot can unlock its full potential. Perhaps Miles and Maya don’t realise this, but Miles isn’t describing wine – but himself. Maya understands him and her explanation for her adoration of wine was equally as eloquent, articulate, caring and beautiful. It all just makes sense. This scene perfectly manages to portray two people sharing a passion for what they love, like they’re speaking the same esoteric language. Both Giamatti and Hansen’s performance were Oscar worthy. An absolute triumph of screenwriting.
While there were so many highs and lows, this film is equally hilarious as it is serious, and absurd as it is human. It must be noted that the stunning Californian vineyard backdrop cleverly juxtaposes an atmosphere of seeming calm and tranquility – even when, in reality, nothing really appears to be going as expected. This film was an absolute delight to watch and will certainly stay in the hearts of cinephiles for the foreseeable future.
Hi everyone! I’m Henry, and I’m a Master’s student studying European politics at the LSE! I write about film, music, politics and culture. Please feel free to reach out to me via email, Instagram or Facebook if you have any questions, recommendations or just want to chat! Email: h.a.badger@lse.ac.uk / Instagram: @hbadge / Facebook: Henry Badger
Henry Badger
