Sideways
(⭐⭐⭐)
R, 123 minutes, Liberty Hall
Was there a bigger snub this Oscar season than Paul Giamatti? Much has been made of the fact that Giamatti did not receive an Academy Award nomination for best actor for his work in this film. It's an astonishing oversight, given that Sideways was honored with five nominations, and Giamatti is the driving force behind the entire film. His acting resonates throughout the movie and gives it an emotional restraint that allows the other characters to indulge in their respective quirks.
Director Alexander Payne (About Schmidt, Election) has come close to making a great movie before, but his works were always undermined by the fact that the people in his films read more like caricatures than characters. However, Giamatti is able to breath life into his role, and is so convincing as Miles Raymond, that all the other zany inhabitants
of this world play off of him as foils to his neuroses.
The movie's plot centers around a trip that Miles and his friend Jack take to Northern California. Former TV star Thomas Haden Church plays Jack, who, surprise, is a former TV star. Jack is about to get married, but his doubts about settling down quickly derail the trip. As Jack enters into one haphazard relationship after the next, Miles tries to curb his friend's recklessness, but is dolefully unequipped to provide any sort of calming influence. Miles' problems are compounded when he falls in love with a local waitress (Virginia Madsen).
All of the acting in this film is superb, but it's Giamatti, who is in nearly every frame, that makes this movie work. He is so naturalistic as Miles, that even the most jaded viewer will soon forget that they're watching a fictitious character. His work in this film has elevated Sideways into an Oscar contender. Too bad the Oscars didn't return the favor.
Will Lamborn
Courtesy of movies.yahoo.com
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