Sideways (2004)

Director:

Alexander Payne

Writers (WGA):

Rex Pickett (novel)
Alexander Payne (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 January 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

In search of wine. In search of women. In search of themselves.

Plot:

Two men reaching middle age with not much to show but disappointment, embark on a week long road trip through California's wine country, just as one is about to take a trip down the aisle.

Plot Keywords:

Wine | California | Actor | Writer | Teacher

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 94 wins & 34 nominations

Cast

Paul Giamatti	...	Miles
Thomas Haden Church	...	Jack
Virginia Madsen	...	Maya
Sandra Oh	...	Stephanie
Marylouise Burke	...	Miles's Mother
Jessica Hecht	...	Victoria
Missy Doty	...	Cammi
M.C. Gainey	...	Cammi's Husband
Alysia Reiner	...	Christine Erganian
Shake Tukhmanyan	...	Mrs. Erganian (as Shaké Toukhmanian)
Shaun Duke	...	Mike Erganian (as Duke Moosekian)
Robert Covarrubias	...	Miles's Building Manager
Patrick Gallagher	...	Gary the Bartender
Stephanie Faracy	...	Stephanie's Mother
Joe Marinelli	...	Frass Canyon Pourer

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some strong sexual content and nudity.

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Armenian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Taiwan:R-18 | Portugal:M/12 | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Hungary:16 | Malaysia:18SX (DVD) | Malaysia:(Banned) (theatrical) | Japan:R-15 | Sweden:Btl | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA (original rating) | Australia:M (re-rating on appeal) | Brazil:16 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | Chile:TE | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:III | Mexico:B15 | Netherlands:12 | Peru:PT | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | UK:15 | USA:R | Norway:11 | Canada:AA (original rating) | Ireland:15 | Indonesia:Dewasa

Filming Locations:

Buellton, California, USA

Company:

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Trivia:

Thomas Haden Church' had left film acting, concentrating on voiceover work, when he received a phone call from Alexander Payne to audition for the role of Jack. Church was a finalist for a role in About Schmidt (2002), another Payne film, and Payne wanted to use the actor in one of his films.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Miles is in the restaurant by himself after the wedding, the food on his plate completely changes positions after we see a close up of the 1961 Cheval Blanc.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Miles Raymond: Fuck.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "30 Rock: Somebody to Love (#2.6)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

SYMBIOSIS - 2nd MOVEMENT (LARGO - ANDANTE - MAESTOSO - LARGO) - A

A Payneful Comedy

Alexander Payne is becoming a magnet for me. I wait for his films. He is an eminently American director that can look in with the incisive eye of an incisive foreigner. Besides all that, he is a poet. In "Election" he gives us an electro shock disguised as a Teen College Comedy. I laughed in horror at the cleverness of the storytelling. In "About Schmid" he forces us to look into one of the darkest corners of our society and find ourselves there. And he does it in the funniest most entertaining way. In "Sideways" he trusts his audience enough to put impossible hurdles for us to love his characters -- Paul Giamatti and his mother's money, for instance -- and yet, we have to admit he's made his point. We are all people. He manages to surprise us with our own capacity for compassion. Vittorio De Sica, Billy Wilder and Mario Monicelli come to mind. Yes Mr. Payne you are the ticket!