Sideways is a 2004 American comedy-drama road film directed by Alexander Payne and written by Jim Taylor and Payne. A film adaptation of Rex Pickett's 2004 novel, Sideways follows two men in their forties, Miles Raymond (Paul Giamatti), a depressed teacher and unsuccessful writer, and Jack Cole (Thomas Haden Church), a past-his-prime actor, who take a week-long road trip to Santa Barbara County wine country to celebrate Jack's upcoming wedding. Sandra Oh and Virginia Madsen also star as women they encounter during their trip.
| Sideways | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Alexander Payne |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Based on | Sideways by Rex Pickett |
| Produced by | Michael London |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Phedon Papamichael |
| Edited by | Kevin Tent |
| Music by | Rolfe Kent |
Production company | Michael London Productions |
| Distributed by | Fox Searchlight Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 127 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $16 million[1] |
| Box office | $109.7 million[1] |
Sideways premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2004, and was released in the United States on October 22, 2004. It received widespread acclaim from critics and is regarded as one of the greatest films of the 2000s. At the 77th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Haden Church), Best Supporting Actress (Madsen), and Best Adapted Screenplay, the last of which it won.
Plot
editMiles Raymond is an unpublished author, a wine aficionado, and a depressed, middle-aged English teacher living in San Diego. He takes Jack Cole, his soon-to-be-married friend and former college roommate, on a road trip through the Santa Ynez Valley wine country. Jack is an actor who now does commercial voice-overs and plans to enter his future father-in-law's successful real estate business. Soon after the trip begins, Miles insists on visiting his mother in Oxnard, as it is the day before her birthday. He steals $900 from her room that night. The men sneak out early the next morning to avoid Miles' mother's birthday gathering.
Miles wants to spend the week relaxing, playing golf, and enjoying good food and wine. However, much to Miles' annoyance, Jack wants to have one last sexual fling before getting married. In the wine country, the pair dine at The Hitching Post II. Jack sees that Maya, a waitress with whom Miles is casually acquainted, is interested in Miles; Miles thinks she is only being professionally friendly. Jack lies to Maya that Miles' manuscript has been accepted for publication, although it is only being considered. At a wine tasting the next day, Jack arranges a double date with a wine pourer named Stephanie, who is also acquainted with Maya.
During the date, Miles gets drunk and telephones Victoria, his ex-wife, after learning from Jack that she has remarried and will be bringing her new husband to Jack's wedding. The two couples go to Stephanie's home, where Stephanie and Jack adjourn to Stephanie's bedroom and have sex, hence starting an affair. Miles and Maya connect through their mutual interest in wine, and he kisses her awkwardly. As they part, Miles gives Maya a copy of his manuscript, which she had earlier expressed interest in reading.
Jack claims to have fallen in love with Stephanie and tells Miles he wants to postpone the wedding and move to Santa Ynez Valley to be closer to her. After spending time with Jack and Stephanie at wineries and a picnic, Miles and Maya return to Maya's apartment and have sex. The next day, Miles divulges that Jack is getting married. Disgusted with the men's dishonesty, Maya dumps Miles.
Jack and Miles go to a winery that Miles finds subpar. After hearing from his literary agent that his manuscript has been rejected, an upset Miles pesters the pourer for a full glass of wine. When the server refuses, Miles drinks from the spit bucket, creating a scene. Jack intervenes and drives Miles back to the motel. Upon arrival, Stephanie, who heard from Maya about Jack's marital status in the meantime, furiously beats Jack with her motorcycle helmet, breaking his nose, while berating him for his infidelity. Miles takes Jack to the ER and leaves Maya an apologetic voice message, admitting that his book will not be published.
That night, Jack hooks up with a waitress named Cammi, despite Miles's protests. Later, Jack returns to the motel naked; Cammi's husband had caught Jack and Cammi having sex. Jack begs Miles to help him retrieve his wallet, which contains custom wedding rings. Miles sneaks into the house, where he finds Cammi and her husband having sex. Miles grabs the wallet and runs, barely escaping Cammi's nude and furious husband. On the drive back to San Diego, Jack intentionally drives Miles's car into a tree to support his alibi that he broke his nose in a car accident, since he cannot allow his fiancée Christine to know of the affair with Stephanie. The pair return to Christine's home, where Jack is warmly received by her family.
Following the wedding ceremony, Miles runs into Victoria and meets her new husband, Ken. Victoria says she is pregnant. Miles absconds before the reception and drives back to his San Diego apartment. Alone, he drinks his prized wine, a 1961 Château Cheval Blanc, from a disposable styrofoam soda cup at a fast-food restaurant. One day, after coming home from his teaching job, Miles receives a voicemail from Maya, who says she enjoyed his manuscript and invites him to visit. Miles drives back to wine country and knocks on Maya's door; what happens after is left unresolved.
Cast
edit- Paul Giamatti as Miles Raymond
- Thomas Haden Church as Jack Cole
- Virginia Madsen as Maya Randall
- Sandra Oh as Stephanie
- Marylouise Burke as Mrs. Raymond, Miles' Mother
- Jessica Hecht as Victoria Cortland
- Lee Brooks as Ken Cortland
- Missy Doty as Cammi
- MC Gainey as Cammi's husband
- Alysia Reiner as Christine Erganian
- Shake Tukhmanyan as Mrs. Erganian
- Shaun Duke as Mike Erganian
- Stephanie Faracy as Ginny, Stephanie's mother
- Natalie Carter as Siena, Stephanie's daughter
- Patrick Gallagher as Gary the Bartender
- Joe Marinelli as Frass Canyon Pourer
Impact on wine industry
edit
Wineries and locations in the Santa Ynez Valley are prominently featured in the film, drawing attention and increased tourism to the Sta. Rita Hills AVA wine region in Santa Barbara County and California's Central Coast. During the film, Miles speaks fondly of the red wine varietal Pinot noir while denigrating Merlot.[2][3] After the film's U.S. release in October 2004, Merlot sales dropped 2% while Pinot noir sales increased 16% in the Western United States. A similar trend occurred in British wine outlets.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
A 2009 study by Sonoma State University found that Sideways slowed the growth in Merlot sales volume and caused its price to fall, but the film's main effect on the U.S. wine industry was a rise in the sales volume and price of Pinot noir and in overall wine consumption.[9]
A 2022 study in the Journal of Wine Economics found that Sideways caused a reduction in demand for Merlot and an increase in demand for Pinot noir in the United States, which led California winemakers to grow Pinot noir grapes in unsuitable land and blend those grapes with the grapes grown in high-quality areas just to meet demand, which may have led to worse Pinot noir wines.[10][11]
Sideways Fest is an annual 3-day event hosted by the Sta. Rita Hills Wine Alliance celebrating the movie's release featuring the local viticulture and scenery.[12]
Sideways Pinot noir
editIn 2013, Rex Pickett, author of the Sideways novel, released his own Pinot noir named Le Plus Ultra.[13] In 2020, he released a Pinot noir named Sideways.[14]
Soundtrack
edit| Sideways | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 12 October 2004 | |||
| Recorded | 2004 | |||
| Genre | Soundtrack | |||
| Length | 37:24 | |||
| Label | New Line Records | |||
| Producer | Rolfe Kent | |||
| Rolfe Kent chronology | ||||
| ||||
The original soundtrack album features 15 jazz instrumentals composed and produced by Rolfe Kent and was orchestrated and arranged for the band by Tony Blondal. The album was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for "Best Original Score", and the music proved so popular there was demand for a national tour. Eventually, a few cities were chosen to perform in as the composer was too busy to commit to more. The romantic leitmotif shared by Miles and Maya is excerpted from Symbiosis by Claus Ogerman and Bill Evans.
- "Asphalt Groovin'" – 4:00
- "Constantine Snaps His Fingers" – 3:03
- "Drive!" – 3:56
- "Picnic" – 2:15
- "Lonely Day" – 1:40
- "Wine Safari" – 2:13
- "Miles' Theme" – 2:59
- "Los Olivos" – 2:43
- "Chasing the Golfers" – 3:03
- "Walk to Hitching Post" – 2:32
- "Abandoning the Wedding" – 3:25
- "Slipping Away As Mum Sleeps" – 1:00
- "Bowling Tango" – 0:49
- "I'm Not Drinking Any #@%!$ Merlot!" – 1:13
- "Miles And Maya" – 2:26
Reception
editOn review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Sideways has an approval rating of 97% based on 233 reviews, and an average rating of 8.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Charming, thoughtful, and often funny, Sideways is a decidedly mature road trip comedy full of excellent performances."[15] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 94 out of 100 based on 42 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[16] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[17]
Time Out described the film as "intelligent, funny and moving",[18] and Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it four stars out of four, writing that "what happens during the seven days adds up to the best human comedy of the year – comedy, because it is funny, and human, because it is surprisingly moving".[19]
With the exception of Giamatti, who had already starred in the critically acclaimed film American Splendor (2003), the film was a career breakthrough for the stars. Church and Madsen were each nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award, Golden Globe Award, and Academy Award for their performances, winning the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award and Independent Spirit Award for their respective categories. Giamatti was described as "The World's Best Character Actor" by Time magazine.[20] In 2005, Sandra Oh went on to star in the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy, for which she won two Screen Actors Guild Awards and one Golden Globe Award.
Sideways was ranked 494th on Empire's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time.[21] Total Film put Sideways on its list of 100 Greatest Movies of All Time.[22] In 2013, the Writers Guild of America also ranked its script as the 90th greatest ever written.[23]
Stage and musical adaptations
editIn 2019, it was announced that Sideways was scheduled to be adapted for a stage musical.[24] Kathleen Marshall is expected to be the director and choreographer for the musical, which was aiming for a spring or summer 2020 tryout in a regional venue prior to Broadway. The musical will have a book by Rex Pickett and the score by Anthony Leigh Adams.[25]
A play adapted by author Rex Pickett from the Sideways novel was produced at multiple theaters in the United States and the United Kingdom, including at the La Jolla Playhouse.[24]
In addition to the musical, it was reported that Pickett had written screenplays based on his two Sideways sequels already in print, Vertical and Sideways 3 Chile.[24]
Accolades
editAs of 2022, Payne and Taylor are the only two screenwriters to ever sweep the rarest achievements known as "The Big Four" critics awards (LAFCA, NBR, NYFCC, NSFC),[26] in addition to winning the Oscar, Globe, BAFTA, WGA, and Critic's Choice Awards for the film.
Japanese remake
editFox International Productions and Fuji TV released a Japanese-language remake of the film in October 2009,[58] サイドウェイズ, often rendered in Romaji as Saidoweizu. The film is directed by Cellin Gluck and stars Katsuhisa Namase, Fumiyo Kohinata, Kyōka Suzuki, and Rinko Kikuchi, and has a soundtrack composed and performed by Hawaiian-born ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro.
The remake shifts the setting of the film to Napa Valley. Although listed as an executive producer, Payne was not involved with the remake, although he gave it his blessing.[59] Giamatti declined an invitation to make an unspecified cameo appearance in the film.[60]
Possible sequel
editPickett has written three sequel books to Sideways, the second of which being Vertical (2010) which follows Miles and Jack on a road trip to Oregon with Miles' mother. Fox Searchlight retain the film rights to the characters, but Payne has expressed disinterest in directing a sequel to Sideways, and no further adaptations have been made.[61]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c Sideways at Box Office Mojo
- ^ Reynolds, Julia (August 13, 2006). "Going Ape For Grape: Annual event celebrates all things wine". Monterey County Herald.
- ^ a b Harlow, John (March 6, 2006). "Oscar winner knocks sales of merlot wine sideways". The Times. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- ^ Simon, Joanna (June 4, 2006). "Sauce". The Sunday Times. p. 47.
- ^ Valdespino, Anne (July 7, 2007). "Don't forgo Merlot". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- ^ Asimov, Eric (December 13, 2006). "Panned on Screen, Merlot Shrugs And Moves On". The New York Times. pp. F10. Archived from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2007.
- ^ Murphy, Patsey (August 13, 2005). "California dream". Irish Times. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- ^ Stimmell, Gordon (March 17, 2007). "More to merlot, you know". Toronto Star. pp. H07.
- ^ Cuellar, Steven S. (January 2009). "The 'Sideways' Effect A test for changes in the demand for Merlot and Pinot Noir wines". Wines & Vines. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ Consoli, Sarah; Fraysse, Elizabeth A.; Slipchenko, Natalya; Wang, Yi; Amirebrahimi, Jahon; Qin, Zhiran; Yazma, Neil; Lybbert, Travis J. (2022). "A "Sideways" Supply Response in California Winegrapes". Journal of Wine Economics. 17: 42–63. doi:10.1017/jwe.2021.26. ISSN 1931-4361. S2CID 243961647. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
- ^ Irwin, Neil (January 23, 2022). "How the movie "Sideways" may have made pinot noir worse". Axios. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
- ^ "Sideways Fest". California 101 Traveler's Guide. September 27, 2019.
- ^ Shaw, Lucy (May 17, 2013). "Sideways Author Releases Pinot Noir". The Drinks Business. Archived from the original on November 16, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- ^ "Review & Interview with Rex Pickett about his Sideways Pinot Noir". The Wine Diplomats. June 26, 2020. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "Sideways (2004)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ "Sideways" Archived June 4, 2020, at the Wayback Machine at Metacritic.
- ^ "SIDEWAYS (2004) B". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018.
- ^ "Time Out London". Timeout.com. Archived from the original on May 28, 2006. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (October 28, 2004). "'Sideways' brilliant any way you look at it". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
- ^ "The World's Best Character Actor". Time. May 31, 2005. Archived from the original on June 4, 2005. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ^ "Empire Features". Empireonline.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
- ^ "100 Greatest Movies Of All Time". Total Film. December 22, 2013. Archived from the original on December 22, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ^ "101 Greatest Screenplays". Writers Guild of America, West. 2013. Archived from the original on May 1, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ a b c Rooney, David (May 2, 2019). "'Sideways' in Development as Broadway Musical". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
- ^ Meyer, Dan. "Kathleen Marshall to Direct and Choreograph Sideways: The Musical" Archived October 8, 2019, at the Wayback Machine Playbill, October 7, 2019
- ^ Noah Baumbach swept the Big Four awards the following year with his film The Squid and the Whale, but did not win awards from the major associations.
- ^ "AFI Awards 2004". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on June 19, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "2005 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". www.oscars.org. October 5, 2014. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "ART OF THE CUT with Kevin Tent, ACE on editing "Peanut Butter Falcon"". provideocoalition.com. August 21, 2019. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ a b "Sideways (2004) Awards & Festivals". mubi.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "Film in 2005". awards.bafta.org. Archived from the original on May 29, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
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- ^ "'Baby' wins top honors at Dallas film fest". USA Today. January 4, 2005. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
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- ^ Gelder, Lawrence Van (December 14, 2004). "Arts, Briefly; 'Sideways' Dominates Critics' Awards". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
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- ^ "Critics' Favorites: Wine Country Road Movie + Incendiary Political Documentary Are Year's Big Winners". altfg.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ Meyer, Carla (December 13, 2004). "'Sideways' takes top honors / S.F. critics give comedy six awards". SFGATE. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "2005 9th Annual SATELLITE Awards". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on February 2, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
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- ^ "Critics Circle - Sideways As Year's Best Pic". The Georgia Straight. January 20, 2005. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "2004 WAFCA Awards - The Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA)". www.dcfilmcritics.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
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