Sideways

Following two friends as they travel off on a tangent from their everyday lives, Sideways is a witty and technically proficient film. Its wandering pace and stuffy atmosphere echoes the moody Lost In Translation and the effect it has is much the same.

Based on Rex Pickett's novel, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor have written a finely crafted adaptation, deserving of its Oscar nomination. It is both clever and subtly amusing, laying down casual lines that you will begin laughing at a few minutes after they have been said.

Payne's direction, combined with precise camera work and editing, serves to reflect the mood of Miles (Paul Giamatti), our protagonist. This draws in the audience to sympathise with a character who is very difficult to love since he is such a miserable bastard.

Giamatti seems to be stuck in a schtick, recreating the eternally negative Harvey Pecar from American Splendor. It is a relief then, that Thomas Haden Church's Jack contrasts so completely. Giamatti's performance may feel familiar, but both do an expert job.

However, whilst Miles's character arc is endearing and involving, Jack remains unchanged throughout and reaches no satisfactory resolution. This is difficult to watch for an audience that has been so conditioned to respond to storylines that follow Todorov's theory of narrative structure (disruption, conflict, resolution), but once beyond the disappointment of Jack not running away with new girlfriend Stephanie (Sandra Oh), nor Miles investing in a vineyard, you begin to see how Jack's lack of development is in keeping with the film's central theme.

Sideways involves you and lulls you into a state of drowsy acceptance of unenthralling happenings. This is a comedy with very few jokes and a drama with very little tension. Like a tipped over bottle of wine, it spills out gently a tale of hope and despair in the middle of nowhere, until you succumb to its remorseless charm and heavenly individuality.