Sideways

Sideways certainly doesn't belong to the kind of films that immediately captivate every viewer and appeal to all movie fans indiscriminately. It's a subtle yet charming conversational piece, an ordinary film about average people experiencing a midlife crisis. No one should expect a barrage of iconic lines or a flood of zany gags. It's a film about searching for love and friendship, built on an intelligent script and strong performances by quality actors. Virginia Madsen, in particular, stands out in the role of the waitress Maya. Overall impression: 75%. (05/27/2007)

This film is like wine, but not you drink it out of a carton like a bum in front of the supermarket, but like, for example, Richebourg vintage ´61 in a nice place, with light notes of jazz in the background and an attractive lady across the table. The label "comedy" is misleading, this is not a film that would elicit volleys of laughter from start to finish, but very pleasantly flowing entertainment with polished dialogue and wonderful actors. Just my cup of tea. The Oscar for screenplay is very well deserved, and as for Giamatti, it's called a 'role of a lifetime'. (01/09/2008)

Middle age crisis... and wine. A relaxed atmosphere... and wine. A week in the life of two former dormmates, one of whom is a far-from-successful writer, currently English teacher and wreck, and the other is a low-quality actor who appears in soaps and commercials... and wine. Excellent actors... and wine. A marvelously relaxed time surrounded by vineyards... and wine. A brilliant screenplay, seemingly about nothing, while in fact being about everything... and wine. An action finale in true buddy movie style? Not even in your dreams - instead we get a double portion of laid-back humor and... and wine. Sideways is an extremely, and I mean extremely, pleasant indie movie that will stay with you for a long while after. By the way, did I mention that this is also about grapes... and wine? (06/21/2007)

Sideways is a very, very nice little film that doesn’t pretend to be artsy and, despite all of its sophistication, it doesn’t shy away from vulgar and dry humour. You’ll get to know the pair of lead characters on such a personal level that they’ll become your friends. And you’ll experience so many comical and sad real-life moments with them that you’ll leave the cinema more satisfied than after any other film far and wide. I was pleasantly surprised by the level of humor, which elicited belly laughs in the last stage (the wallet). It’s regrettable that the Academy ignored Paul Giamatti’s brilliant performance. I’m giving Sideways a similarly strong four stars as in the case of And Your Mother Too. (02/10/2005)

The soundtrack, composed for Sideways by one of my favorite contemporary composers, Rolfe Kent, has been one I've loved for years, know by heart and can't get enough of. This wonderful jazz-scented music is playful, melancholic, sensitive, funny... Essentially, it uses almost all existing moods and always feels suitable. Well, after today, it's clear that the film is in terms of having the same mood. A pleasantly truthful spectacle, definitely not moralizing, definitely not explosively funny and, despite the two-hour runtime, it’s also not too long. A sunny film, in which it does rain a few times, but what can you do? When it rains, you should wait for the sun to shine again, right? Superbly acted, filmed and, of course, also scored. However, I can't help it, I liked A Good Year better. (10/19/2013)