Back Shelf Beauties
by Willie Waffle
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Sideways
Every year, one small movie seems to break out with massive critical support
to win over moviegoers. Like last years Lost
in Translation, Sideways seems
poised to surprise everyone and grow its support over the long haul. Now,
its up to movie lovers to find it and buy tickets.
Paul Giamatti stars as Miles - a middle aged, recently divorced writer and
school teacher taking his buddy, Jack (Thomas Haden Church), on a weeklong
tour of the California wine country. Its more than a vacation for these
two. Its one last week of bachelorhood for Jack, and the final time
they can live the wild life. However, things get complicated as each one
helps the other confront mistakes, challenges and problems in their lives.
Will Jack make it to the altar? Will Miles finally make a move on the waitress
he has admired for so long? Can each one realize his own failings to become
a better man?
Sideways isnt a movie heavy on
plot and structure. Its a slower moving story and character study that
demands the audience pay attention to the nuanced performances, the wonderful
dialogue and each characters big and small revelations. While you might
not feel much is going on while watching the movie,
Sideways is a better film as you actively
engage it, examine the characters, look for the meaning and motivation of
what they say and do, and think about what each one is going through.
Co-writer/director Alexander Payne (based on a novel by Rex Pickett) allows
the actors to shape the story through their interpretations of the characters,
while setting a subtle, laidback tone that allows the issues to grow on us,
ferment until they break out to grab our attention and move us with their
resolution. While the script is full of great dialogue to shape each character,
Giamatti and Church bring them to life in ways that are funny and sad.
Church gets to be the more overt character with the funny lines and wacky
situations, but never wanders into ridiculous territory. Years of television
comedy have given him great timing, and we know he can be funny, but some
of his best moments come when Church shows a darker side to Jack and his
big scene towards the end (youll know which one, trust me).
Meanwhile, Giamatti gives one of the great performances of 2004. Physically
with his eyes and slumped posture, verbally with the tone in his voice and
emotionally with his reactions to the hard times Miles has faced, Giamatti
shows us how this character is a defeated man. We get to see him go nuts
watching his friend with everything get anything he wants and be willing
to toss it away, while Miles struggles for the small happiness of having
a woman smile at him. Giamatti slowly takes us into the depths of Miles'
despair, especially with his heartbreaking speech about pinot grapes, but
always finds a way to entertain us as well with some humorous, pretentious
analysis of wine, which reveals a little something about the character as
well.
Lots of people are going ga-ga over
Sideways, but Im not willing to
go that far. A little more structure to the story and a little more action
would have helped, but I am picky that way. Still,
Sideways is a winner.
3 ½ Waffles (Out Of
4)
Copyright 2004 - WaffleMovies.com
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