Film
Bristol Film Festival: Sideways
- Director
- Alexander Payne
- Certificate
- 15
- Running Time
- 123 mins
Back in the 50s, Field and Stream magazine commissioned Ed Zern to review Lady Chatterley’s Lover. He praised Lawrence’s accounts of pheasant–raising, but noted that: “Unfortunately, one is obliged to wade through many pages of extraneous material in order to discover and savour these sidelights . . . in this reviewer’s opinion this book cannot take the place of J.R. Miller’s Practical Gamekeeping.” At the time of its release, it was hard not to think of Mr. Zern while reading all those articles commissioned from newspaper wine correspondents about Alexander Payne’s quite brilliant Sideways: superficially a tale of two middle-aged blokes on a wine-tasting vacation, which isn’t actually about wine at all. Indeed, in one of the film’s most beautifully written moments, morose protagonist Miles (Paul Giamatti) is clearly talking about himself when he describes a particular vintage
Miles is an unpublished author still struggling to get over his divorce. His real passion is wine. Wolfish Jack (Thomas Haden Church) was in a TV soap once and is used being half-recognised, but now contents himself with voiceover work. His passion is “getting my bone smooched”. Chalk’n’cheese chums since college days, the two men manifest their respective failures in radically different ways and their friendship is about to be tested as never before during a leisurely trip round the vineyards of California to mark Jack’s last days of freedom before getting married. Miles is looking forward to the pleasures of the grape, while Jack intends to get as much pussy as possible.
Adapted from Rex Rickett’s novel, Sideways is skilfully written and brilliantly cast. Miles is a perfect fit for Paul Giamatti, whose talents had previously rarely been stretched on screen. Here, he wears the body language of emotional defeat like a finely tailored suit. Thomas Haden Church, who really was big in some long-forgotten TV show, is also a revelation as aging horndog Jack, whose desperation for a last-gasp legover is as pitiable as Miles’s chronic self-esteem failure. Payne’s screenplay succeeds in humanising both men, not least by introducing them to a pair of female oenophiles in the form of Sandra Oh (the director’s wife, fact fans) and Virginia Madsen. While the Madsen/Giamatti coupling does rather strain credulity, this is the only criticism one can level at such a funny, poignant, truthful film that fully deserves its many awards.
is needed now More than ever
Back for by popular demand, this Bristol Film Festival screening takes place in Averys’ historic wine cellars beneath Park Street, where several different wines will be available for tasting to create a ‘drink-along’ experience. Advance tickets, price £25, are available here.
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