"I'm too insignificant to commit suicide," says Paul Giamatti's character, Miles Raymond, in Alexander Payne's "Sideways." Of course, his dim-witted buddy Jack (Thomas Hayden Church) does not catch Miles' Hemingway reference.
In his fourth feature film, Alexander Payne ("Citizen Ruth," "Election," "About Schmidt") uses his knowledge of literature, as well as a vast knowledge of wine tasting, as a vehicle to take his viewers into a deep world of hidden anguish.
Paul Giamatti is the perfect actor to drive this vehicle. His role in "American Splendor" as perpetual loser Harvey Pekar was great, but his work in "Sideways" is a step above.
Giamatti plays Miles, an eighth-grade English teacher whose real aspiration is to be a published novelist. His best friend Jack is getting married in a week, and the two take a trip out to wine-tasting country to celebrate Jack's last week as a bachelor. This is the only point in the film where Miles seems optimistic. Wine tasting is a passion of his, and he seems eager to introduce his best friend to this hobby.
Jack has other ideas though. He not only intends, but demands getting laid as many times as possible before he gets hitched. Jack's role is played surprisingly well by Hayden Church, best known for playing Lowell in the early '90s sitcom "Wings." The most entertaining part of "Sideways" is watching these two opposites - freshman year roommates at San Diego State - complement each other.
Eventually Jack's charm and outgoing nature hooks both men up with a date for the week. Stephanie, played by Sandra Oh ("Under the Tuscan Sun"), is a single mother who works in a winery. Maya, played by Virginia Madsen ("Candyman"), is a divorced waitress as well as a horticulture student at the local college. At this point, the film becomes less of a buddy film, and more of a romantic comedy.
Stephanie and Jack's relationship takes off, whereas Miles and Maya are too awkward and slow moving to get anything going. While Jack gets more and more serious over his fling, Miles starts to feel more and more dejected over the failure of not only his current relationship but also over the happiness of his ex-wife with her new husband. It seems like everybody is happy and in love but him. And to top it off, his novel is rejected by the publishers.
Wine tasting is used as a metaphor for Miles's life. The most prominent use of this tool is during a scene between Miles and Maya, when the two talk over what their favorite wine is and why. They are really talking about themselves and what they're looking for from life, not grapes. This is one of Payne's few mistakes in a movie filled with great subtlety.
In "About Schmidt," Payne made his most memorable scene the one in which Kathy Bates sheds all her clothing and bears her nude body for the entire world to see. This was not meant to be a gross-out factor, but just attention grabbing.
In "Sideways" this same tool is used when we are forced to watch two average fat Americans having raunchy sex. Be ready for some full frontal, not from an overweight retirement-age woman this time, but instead an irate man.
An irate man, running down the street, flapping in the breeze, that is.
This is what this movie is bound to win praise for. Payne's characters, especially Miles, are so normal and average, that they are extremely believable. Paul Giamatti is so natural that it seems like he isn't acting at all. Especially during a scene in which his ex-wife tells him that she is pregnant, with her new husband's child. The anguish that he tries so hard to hide is so smart because it's so easy to relate to the surprise and disappointment his character feels.
"Sideways" is a very good film, but it is bound to be over-rated. It's a very slow-moving film, and is a little long at two hours. Regardless, it is certainly the best movie out right now and well worth the time.
