Sideways

When two guys get together on a trip, what else are on their minds? Even if two gay men get together, they would find two more gay men to screw. Alexander Payne’s Sideways takes viewers on a road trip to visit California wineries with two best friends Miles (Paul Giamattie) and Jack (Thomas Haden Church). Before Jack is getting married, his mission is getting himself and his buddy some booties. Jack knows his lines with the ladies and Miles knows his wines inside out. Isn’t that a perfect combination?

Beside the tight chemistry between Giamattie and Church, the scripting is “tighter than a nun’s asshole!” – as Miles describes a new pinot noir. His descriptive lines through tasting wines make him sounds like a great critic. The best lines are when he explains to Maya (Virginia Madsen) the delicacy of pinot noir grape, which reflects him personality. In response, Madsen gives an emotional and most convincing answer for why she loves wine – the liveliness of it that is.

Sideways has its a laughable scenes as well as serious moments. The pacing of the film is just right and the story is compelling. Alexander Payne once again perfecting his character creation by casting the perfect roles for his film. Paul Giamatti is flawless as Miles in this film just like Jack Nicholson as Schmidt in Payne’s earlier film About Schmidt. Virginia Madsen and Thomas Haden Church are no less impressive in their roles.