"Sideways": Outlook is All About Perspective

I often find films about life and human nature to be conflicting and fit into multiple genres.  This film is no exception.


"Sideways" is about two men who travel to California's Wine Country for a week of vacation.  Miles, played by Paul Giamatti, is struggling with a midlife crisis relating to his own mediocrity and dissatisfaction with his own lack of achievements.  There is also Jack, played by Thomas Haden Church, who is about to get married and seems to live his life erratically yet without consequence.


I enjoyed this film for the most part.  It is a bit of a double character study with the plot being extremely realistic and relatable.  Miles is a realist and Jack is more foolish, even though the film doesn't necessarily present Miles' outlook as being a more beneficial one.  There are also many different genres that blend pretty well in this film: drama, comedy, and romance.


"Sideways" comes off as very depressing, which isn't a bad thing.  There is a constant misery surrounding Miles with how he cannot transcend all the unfortunate events going on in his life.  This is often worsened by his foil character, Jack, who has a lot of fun through living a life that has already treated him well.


When this film tries to be funny, the comedy really works.  "Sideways" has a great sense of humor, which helps break up the film's near constant negativity.  Most of my favorite moments come from Jack's dialogue.  A great example of this is when Miles is harshly and intelligently critiquing the wine he is drinking, then Jack tells Miles that he thinks the wine tastes pretty good.


Finally, this film touches on the concept of romance.  There is a lot of pondering about what these characters should do in their relationships.  Honestly, "Sideways" could have gone deeper into these ideas because it seems like the film is more devoted to the basics of why these characters act in the way they do rather than looking into the complexities relating to what these desires say about the characters.


One of this film's best qualities is how quaint and small-scale the story is.  The editing isn't very fancy, and the music is mostly comprised of kitschy, catchy tunes.  However, when there needs to be an emotional punch, "Sideways" delivers unflinching emotion through a more serious film style.


I have a few issues with the ending.  "Sideways" dragged on for about ten minutes too long, then ended in an infuriating place.  The ending angered me because it undercut the emotion that could have been there if it would have taken a more non-traditional route.


"Sideways" ends up drawing a few comparisons to "Adaptation", which comes from the talented filmmaker Spike Jonze and masterful screenwriter Charlie Kaufman.  Both films deal with struggling writers, and there are a lot of self-referential offhand comments that foreshadow where the film's own plot is going.  I think the fact that I perceive "Adaptation" as a much more innovative and enjoyable film makes "Sideways" seem like an inferior experience.


All in all, this is a good movie, but not quite great.  There is a lot of interesting dialogue about how people see the world around them differently, but there is a little bit holding this film back.  I would definitely recommend it if you enjoy funny romance films that contain some depressing moments.