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| Cast and Credits |
| Cast: |
Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Patrick Gallagher, Alex Kalognomos, Virginia Madsen, Joe Marinelli, Sandra Oh, Alysia Reiner |
| Director: |
Alexander Payne |
| Writer: |
Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor |
| Rating: |
Not Available |
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Reviewed By: Brendan Cullin
Rating: 9/10
Paul Giamatti stars as Miles Raymond, a short, pudgy, balding, bearded, divorced English teacher who has a penchant for testing fine wines. Miles' college roommate and best friend Jack (Thomas Haden Church) is getting married so Miles takes him on a week long Californian wine tasting tour during which Miles plans to eat good food and drink great wine and Jack plans to get both himself and Miles laid. A monstrous-sized task indeed. The two desperate men meet up with two beautiful women, Maya (Virginia Madsen) and Stephanie (Sandra Oh) and what follows is an absolutely hilarious movie and quite easily my personal favourite so far this year. There's a bit of everything in this movie - tonnes of laughs, theft, chase scenes, loud sex, big fat naked men. You name it, Sideways has got it. Well, it hasn't got everything but I still loved Sideways.
In fact, I loved this movie so much, I am already going to give it my full endorsement for four Oscar nominations - best picture, best actor (Paul Giamatti), best supporting actor (Thomas Haden Church) and best supporting actress (Virginia Madsen). Even Sandra Oh was great, for that matter. I just hope that the rather extended "penis" scene in the movie does not negatively impact its Oscar chances. Which begs the question, what is it with director Alexander Payne's obsession with naked fat people in his movies? Two years ago it was Kathy Bates in About Schmidt. This year it's a tiny penis attached to a big naked body. Perhaps he has a strange fetish with fat naked people?
Nevertheless, I cannot say enough good things about Sideways. It is the first must-see movie of the season. In many ways, it reminded me of the equally brilliant American Beauty, in that it covers a man (well, two men in this case) caught in a mid-life crisis of sorts and makes light of a different and at times, difficult situation. Miles Raymond is the lovable loser this time around and I'm sure any cold-blooded male who sees Sideways will appreciate and understand both him and his friend Jack and what they are going through. I know that I really felt for Miles. I just hope that the esteemed Academy can overlook the penis incident and give Sideways the accolades it deserves come nomination time.
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