First of, I'd like to start by saying that Sideways was one of the biggest disappointments that I've experienced in a very long time. I went into the movie theater with great expectations of a comedy that was funny and bittersweet at the same time (similar to Payne's previous film, "About Schmidt"). I came out feeling that I had been cheated. There were so many things that I disliked about this film that I don't even know where to begin. First, neither of the two characters is remotely likable. I know that Payne was trying to show the desperate nature of Giamatti's character in the scene where he steals money from his mother. But in all honesty, can any normal self-respecting person relate to that??? I'm not trying to sound high and mighty, but I cannot think of ANY reason to steal from my mother, much less doing so in order to fund a wine-tasting trip with one of my friends. Likewise, am I honestly supposed to believe Church's character when he begins to cry about losing his wedding rings and in doing so possibly losing his fiancée? Am I supposed to overlook the fact that he had sex with two women 6 DAYS before his wedding? Give me a break. Throughout the movie I did not feel that any of the characters were real, but that scene was the most ridiculous. The second thing that disappointed me was the fact that the movie was not funny. Before I go any further I should say that I enjoy dry and subtle humor ("Being John Malcovich", "Curb Your Enthusiasm"). That being said, I found absolutely nothing funny in this movie. There were a few moments that deserved a small chuckle, but that's about it. Perhaps I would've enjoyed the movie more if I was a wine connoisseur, which I must admit I'm not. As a matter of fact, the wine is the best and most likable character in the movie (aside from Virginia Madsen, who was very good). On that same note, one of the only redeemable factors of this movie was the cinematography and views of the California wine country which were beautiful. Also, although I did not like or feel any sympathy towards Giammatti's character, I have to admit that he's a good actor and delivered a solid performance. My overall description of this film is that it's a mediocre buddy pic that does not deserve any real acclaim. If, however, anyone who has not yet seen it decides to do so I have this advice...Do not believe all the hype surrounding this movie and do not expect a funny comedy. You will be disappointed. I know I was.
Since I wrote this review, I've spoken to several members of my family about this film and have been disappointed to find out that all of them liked it. I felt compelled to come back to IMDb and add another paragraph to my review because I honestly can't understand what it is that people see in this movie. Then, I read a very interesting review of "Sideways" that gave me a different perspective. The writer commented that characters in a film do not necessarily have to be likable in order for someone to enjoy watching them on screen. I thought about this and decided that it's a true statement, yet still thought that "Sideways" was boring and in my opinion completely unbelievable. This lead me to ponder the question of what makes a film, or more precisely what makes a character, interesting to watch. I came to the conclusion that a great film character doesn't have to be good or evil, likable or repulsive, funny or somber. The only thing that they should have to do is grab your attention and make you want to root for, and in some cases against, them. They should elicit some kind of emotions from you, whether those emotions be good or bad. Ralph Cifaretto from the Sopranos is a great example. He was a completely repulsive character that no normal human being could possibly like or have respect for. But Joe Pantoliano played him so well that you couldn't take your eyes off the screen. You had to keep watching to see what he would do next. The two main characters in "Sideways", on the other hand, are not the deep and complicated personalities that critics would have you believe. They're boring, overly simplified (in Jack's case), and unbearably dreary (in Miles' case) characters that give you no reason to want to know or care what they will do next. Personally, I could have cared less if Maya ends up with Miles at the end of the film. For me, that is the biggest failure of this movie. The only emotion that I felt, other than anger for having spent money on this dud, was remorse for Jack's wife for marrying such a prick and a similar sadness for Miles' mother for raising such a failure. In the end, this film fails because it's a character study of two completely hollow, one-dimensional, and uninteresting characters. I suppose I would not feel so strongly about "Sideways" had it not received such glowing reviews. I felt the need to express my opinion simply to show others who hated it that they're not the only ones that feel like someone is trying to pull the wool over their eyes with this over-hyped garbage.
Since I wrote this review, I've spoken to several members of my family about this film and have been disappointed to find out that all of them liked it. I felt compelled to come back to IMDb and add another paragraph to my review because I honestly can't understand what it is that people see in this movie. Then, I read a very interesting review of "Sideways" that gave me a different perspective. The writer commented that characters in a film do not necessarily have to be likable in order for someone to enjoy watching them on screen. I thought about this and decided that it's a true statement, yet still thought that "Sideways" was boring and in my opinion completely unbelievable. This lead me to ponder the question of what makes a film, or more precisely what makes a character, interesting to watch. I came to the conclusion that a great film character doesn't have to be good or evil, likable or repulsive, funny or somber. The only thing that they should have to do is grab your attention and make you want to root for, and in some cases against, them. They should elicit some kind of emotions from you, whether those emotions be good or bad. Ralph Cifaretto from the Sopranos is a great example. He was a completely repulsive character that no normal human being could possibly like or have respect for. But Joe Pantoliano played him so well that you couldn't take your eyes off the screen. You had to keep watching to see what he would do next. The two main characters in "Sideways", on the other hand, are not the deep and complicated personalities that critics would have you believe. They're boring, overly simplified (in Jack's case), and unbearably dreary (in Miles' case) characters that give you no reason to want to know or care what they will do next. Personally, I could have cared less if Maya ends up with Miles at the end of the film. For me, that is the biggest failure of this movie. The only emotion that I felt, other than anger for having spent money on this dud, was remorse for Jack's wife for marrying such a prick and a similar sadness for Miles' mother for raising such a failure. In the end, this film fails because it's a character study of two completely hollow, one-dimensional, and uninteresting characters. I suppose I would not feel so strongly about "Sideways" had it not received such glowing reviews. I felt the need to express my opinion simply to show others who hated it that they're not the only ones that feel like someone is trying to pull the wool over their eyes with this over-hyped garbage.