SIDEWAYS (****)
In search of wine.
In search of women.
In search of themselves.
There can hardly be fewer words more apt to describe SIDEWAYS, a film of small events, touching humor, and heartfelt honesty. Its pleasures lie not in familiar structures of the mainstream, but in its realization of true emotions. There is no special effect, no action sequence, and no complex mystery that can match the empathy we generate for Miles Raymond (Paul Giamatti) in his unwitting search for esteem and happiness. Despite its lack of grand themes, it does what many of the great films do, which is reveal the human condition.
The movie begins and ends with a knock on a door; one opens to misery, another maybe to fulfillment. A short period in Miles’s life exists between the two. He’s an English teacher and aspiring writer who plans to accompany his best friend Jack (Thomas Haden Church) off to California wine country for a week of fun before Jack gets married. Miles is also a wine connoisseur and divorcee, still depressed (for two years) over his breakup. You can guess what kind of fun a sad and lonely wine aficionado will be looking for before a wedding.
Jack is a part-time actor, once a soap opera regular who now dabbles in commercial voice-overs. He obliges his friend’s R&R gesture to spend his last days of bachelorhood in the company of whomever he can find. But he isn't entirely caddish. He also wants to help his friend out of his doldrums, by finding him a woman to go out with. If only Miles would view women as romantic opportunities, instead of obstacle courses.
As they set out to vineyards, golf courses, and dinner dates, we get to see their wonderful camaraderie. In essence, both are each other’s better half. Jack’s flirtatiousness and gamesmanship helps support Miles’s self-esteem. While Miles’s deeply rooted common sense keeps (or does its best to keep) Jack out of trouble. Both of them fail and succeed in these respects, but watching them instinctively helping each other is delightful in its sincerity and humor.
Their relationship is not the only one in focus. The film forges two others, one being Jack’s link with Stephanie (Sandra Oh), a pour girl whose knowledge in wine is surpassed only by the confidence of her own sexuality. Her coquettishness matches Jack’s plays signal by signal. But this rapport is incidental compared to the connection that Miles makes with Maya (Virginia Madsen), a waitress whom he has known for several years, but has been too afraid to get to know. When he does, she reveals depth and wisdom that is as rich as the warmth of her beauty.
To describe the rest of the movie’s events would be a travesty, but rest assured that the film never takes a misstep, and never cheats our trust with cheap sentiment or contrivance. We are forced to deal with these men, flaws and all. Despite their shortcomings, addictions (Miles with drink, Jack with women), and whining, the film engenders such real affection for them, like an eccentric relative whom you love without question. The film’s characters are as fully realized as movies can get, undiluted by plot devices or visual gimmickry. And though we laugh at what befalls them, some of their situations are truly sad… even tragic. How true the saying is that everything can be funny as long as it doesn’t happen to you.
Though the movie has distress, it is able to mask it in lightheartedness. I found it amazing how much comedy mingled effortlessly within the film’s framework. There are accidents, arguments, beatings, sex, golf swings and other happenings that arise out of these men’s encounters that help deflate some of the sadness in their idiosyncrasies. None funnier than when Jack tries to fabricate an accident, and when Miles attempts to rescue an item in one of the most well timed sudden close-ups I have ever seen.
I was once asked what makes great acting. In movies, acting is great when it cannot be detected, and in SIDEWAYS, there is no performance that has even an iota of affectation. In a country where audiences like to see their actors playing their parts, this film should be required viewing to every aspiring Filipino actor. Its scenes are as natural as can be, never theatrical. These are performances of the highest order.
Those who know Thomas Hayden Church remember him as the monotone comedian in the comedy series WINGS. Yet here he is as one of the front-runners for Best Supporting Actor. His performance could have only come from one who knows Jack’s personality, and is proof that any actor can be outstanding if given the right role. He has a scene where he realizes his feelings for someone dear, and shows a touching transition from joker to fool.
If there’s anyone who can play neurotic better than Woody Allen, it’s Paul Giamatti. His neuroses here are not so much a joke, but a suffering. His character’s insecurity is on the verge of debilitation. Think of his expertise in wine as a Ferrari, compensating for his lack of confidence. Yet, despite his vulnerability, only Mr. Giamatti could make us care for Miles so intently. I could not help but feel for him as he finds joy with Maya, and feel scared if it did not work out. It is sacrilege that he be passed over for an Oscar nomination.
There are few movie moments that I consider flawless, such as Bill Murray’s conversation with Scarlett Johansson about married life in LOST IN TRANSLATION. Or Sissy Spacek’s outburst over her character’s son in IN THE BEDROOM. Mr. Giamatti and Ms. Madsen have a scene where Miles talks about his favorite wine, which essentially reflects himself. When Maya responds, her words can only be described as perfection. Virginia Madsen has never been better, and I say this carefully; it is so far, the best performance I have seen from any actor this past year. Who knew she had this kind of centeredness?
The great playwright David Mamet once said that, "To find beauty in the sad, hope in the midst of loss, and dignity in failure is great poetic art." SIDEWAYS is just that. It shows a man and all of his weaknesses, and yet is able to make us love him and wish him well. Director Alexander Payne seems to love showing the beauty in imperfect people, as he did with Matthew Broderick in ELECTION and Jack Nicholson in ABOUT SCHMIDT. This film showcases him at the height of his powers, and is one of the best films of 2004.
Posted by FLIPCRITIC at February 21, 2005 12:47 PM