Sideways is a movie about two men (Miles and Jack) going on a week long trip in California wine country for one last week of fun before Jack (Thomas Haden Church) gets married. Miles (Paul Giamatti) is in a state of depression because he got a divorce and is a lonely guy who is trying to get a book published and it isn’t going very well. So the plan is to drive to several wineries and taste the differences in the kinds of wines. Miles loves wine and is very knowledgeable about it, while Jack likes it but isn’t an expert. Jack’s main goal is to have fun and meet women for one last fling, while Miles really doesn’t want to be there because he’s depressed, but is doing it anyway. While at one of their stops, the boys run into a waitress, Maya (Virginia Madsen), who is an acquaintence of Miles and they find out she is recently divorced, too. At one of the vineyards, they also meet Stephanie (Sandra Oh), Jack immediately flirts and hits it off with her right away. Jack, Miles, Stephanie, and Maya go out to eat and try many different kinds of wines. With Jack not telling Stephanie that he is getting married, Miles also has to keep the secret because Jack insists on it. This, of course, leads to some major problems in the end. Paul Giamatti plays the depressed writer perfectly and I think when watching this movie, just keep a close eye on his character because he’s good. There are also some very funny scenes including a car accident. There is also some good education when comes to wine and if you like wine, I think this would be a good movie to watch. I’m actually hoping to go to California some day and make a very similar journey to a bunch vineyards in the Napa Valley.
Filed under: Paul Giamatti, Sideways, wine
