The Courier, TX
Feb 4 2005

Unlikely sidekick flick “Sideways” garners five Oscar nominations

By: Michael Huckaby, Movie reviewer 02/04/2005

“Sideways” is a heartfelt adult comedy about the complexities of
romantic commitment, long-term male friendship and coping with the
disappointments of lost youth.

This charming, sometimes hilarious character study was nominated for
five prestigious Oscars, including Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay
and Director. With a subtle though strong and hopeful ending, this
beautifully-paced film is engaging and provides moving cultural
commentary.
The day-by-day story unfolds when two 40-something best friends begin
a road trip to the beautiful wine-growing Santa Ynez Valley of
California, a weeklong tour of vineyards, restaurants and golf
courses, a coastal vacation the best man arranges in lieu of a
mundane bachelor party. Former college roommates, the pair are
diametrically opposite in appearance, character and personal ethics.
Yet this unlikely friendship between an introvert and extrovert is
rock solid and endures incredible challenges.
A connoisseur of wines, sad-sack Miles Raymond (Paul Giamatti) is a
paunchy San Diego eighth-grade English teacher and struggling
novelist, woebegone over his divorce of two years from Victoria
(Jessica Hecht). Celibate since the breakup, Miles confessed to being
unfaithful, an inebriated one-night transgression he felt
morally-compelled to divulge.
Nominated for Supporting Actor, Thomas Hayden Church plays “Handsome”
Jack, a has-been Los Angeles soap opera star and ladies man who
enthusiastically beds all comers. Genuinely fond of pretty fiancée
Christine Erganian (Alysia Reiner), the daughter of a wealthy
Armenian real estate developer, the marriage promises financial
stability. The future father-in-law has offered Jack a cushy job and
thoughtfully bought him an expensive set of golf clubs for the
journey.
A stop in Santa Barbara, purportedly to wish Miles’ doting mother
(Marylouise Burke) a happy birthday, reveals the mom’s understanding
of her son’s fragile sensibilities. Instead of just handing Miles the
cash he needs, she keeps it in a special hiding place so he can help
himself without the embarrassment of having to ask.
After having devastating Miles with the offhand news that Victoria
remarried a few weeks back, Jack makes a promise he intends to keep.
“My best man gift to you will be to get you laid,” he casually
informs a sullen Miles as the odd couple approaches their hotel. That
evening Jack is quick to note the shy glances Miles exchanges with a
curly-haired blonde waitress at Miles’ favorite valley restaurant.
Earning a Supporting Actress nomination, Virginia Madsen’s portrayal
of Maya is a comforting study of a woman who can come to love a man
for his inner qualities and vulnerabilities rather than his
appearance or accomplishments. A wine aficionado soon to earn a
graduate degree in horticulture, the wholesome Maya was once married
to a boorish philosophy professor.
The following afternoon the buddies meet the motorcycle-riding
Stephanie (Sandra Oh), a wine pourer who believes Jack’s blarney.
When Jack finds out the women know each other, he arranges a double
date, swearing Miles to secrecy about his coming marriage. A
slapstick sequence that finally reveals Jack’s underlying character
involves the misadventures that follow after he goes home with Cammie
(Miss Doty), a chubby waitress married to a truck driver (M.C.
Gainey).
Director Alexander Payne, the real-life husband of Sandra Oh, also
wrote the nominated screenplay.