Alexander Payne has documented quirky eccentrics and awkward relationships in his oddball gems, 1999’s “Election” and 2002’s “About Schmidt.” But with his latest film, “Sideways,” based on Rex Pickett’s novel about a divorced wine-lover and his spastic, about-to-be-wed buddy, Payne has completed his best work to date.
Paul Giammatti (“American Splendor”) is Miles Raymond, a junior high English teacher whose two loves in life are wine and his ever-expanding epic novel. Miles has been depressed since his divorce two years earlier from Victoria (Jessica Hecht, “The Forgotten”). His best friend, Jack (Thomas Haden Church, most memorable as the spazzy Lowell Mather from the ’90s sitcom “Wings,” but he’s also popped up in Hollywood fodder like “George of the Jungle” and “3000 Miles to Graceland”), is about to get married and is looking for some prenuptial loving on a road trip into California’s vast expanses of wine country. So Miles and Jack head out into the expanses of grape farms and wineries, pairing up with women as they travel from one wine tasting to the next. Miles meets his match in Maya (Virginia Madsen, “The Candyman”) while Jack falls hard for Stephanie (Sandra Oh, HBO’s “Arli$$”).
Giammatti plays Miles by perfectly delegating massive amounts of grumpiness, bitterness and neurosis with naíve hopefulness about his rudderless book deal. And Church knocks out a stellar performance, which would win an Oscar for best supporting actor in a fair world. His morally lax character, Jack, is an actor (soaps and commercials) who hasn’t developed mentally much past the ninth grade. Church turns in some hilarious, momentous scenes while retaining enough integrity with his character that he can quickly turn around and sincerely regret his actions near the film’s conclusion.
With “Sideways” Payne finds a balance, both within plot and character that was lacking from “Election” (which spread itself too thin across a multitude of minor players) and his comedic pacing is spot-on, never slowing to the sentimental sludge that weighed down a few scenes in “About Schmidt.”
The film as a whole rolls along softly and slowly (clocking in at a little over two hours), building momentum throughout as the friends’ week away from their lives passes. The best scenes are all humorous high points where Payne’s elegant mise en scene combines with outlandish and awkward situations. The characters devolve into perpetual children as their lives spiral in and out of control. Rolling fields, golf courses and sparse expanses of rural roads string together like memories of a collective vacation. A split screen montage works to expand the characters and create a sense of empathy with viewers. The vacation alternately allows Miles and Jack to act like children. Miles pouts and furrows and hilariously bolts down a hill with a bottle of wine, regressing momentarily to confront the loss of his wife. Jack severs all moral obligations to his wife, engaging in a couple of affairs until he suffers the consequences, which happen to leave him naked and injured. After Miles tattles on his friend to Maya, he must make up for his mistake (mostly for his own and the audience’s gratification) by retrieving Jack’s misplaced wallet, unleashing the film’s utterly hilarious and irreverent climax.
“Sideways” is a strong film that relies on Payne’s aptitude for creating everyday beautiful atmosphere. A strong cast and solid comedic edge take the film further, making for one of the year’s finest films.
