Sideways
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 of the same name, 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. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2004, and was released in the United States on October 22, 2004. Sideways received widespread acclaim from critics and is regarded as one of the greatest films of the 2000s. It was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Haden Church) and Best Supporting Actress (Madsen), winning Best Adapted Screenplay at the 77th Academy Awards.
| 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] |
Plot edit
Miles Raymond is an unpublished author, a wine aficionado, and a depressed, middle-aged English teacher living in San Diego.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 nine hundred dollars from her room that night. The men sneak out early the next morning to avoid the birthday gathering Miles' mother has planned.
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. Miles and Maya connect through their mutual interest in wine, and he kisses her awkwardly. As they are leaving separately, 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 pour" 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 approaches Jack, breaks his nose with her motorcycle helmet, and furiously scolds him for lying to her. Miles takes Jack to the ER and leaves Maya an apologetic voice message, admitting that his book is not going to 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 discovers 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 claim that he broke his nose in a car accident. The pair return to the home of Jack's fiancée, Christine, where Jack is warmly received by Christine's family.
Following the wedding ceremony, Miles runs into his ex-wife Victoria and meets her new husband, Ken. Victoria tells Miles that 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.
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
The film drew attention and increased tourism to the Santa Ynez Valley wine-growing 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 U.S., 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 Pinot Noir edit
In 2013, Rex Pickett, author of the Sideways novel, released his own pinot noir called Le Plus Ultra.[12] In 2020, he released a pinot noir titled Sideways.[13]
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 edit
On 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."[14] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 94 out of 100 based on 42 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[15] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[16]
Time Out described the film as "intelligent, funny and moving",[17] 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."[18]
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.[19] 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.[20] Total Film put Sideways on its list of 100 Greatest Movies of All Time.[21] In 2013, the Writers Guild of America also ranked its script as the 90th greatest ever written.[22]
Stage and musical adaptations edit
In 2019, it was announced that Sideways was scheduled to be adapted for a stage musical.[23] 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.[24]
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.[23]
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.[23]
Accolades edit
As 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),[25] in addition to winning the Oscar, Globe, BAFTA, WGA, and Critic's Choice Awards for the film.
Japanese remake edit
Fox International Productions and Fuji TV released a Japanese-language remake of the film in October 2009,[57] 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.[58] Giamatti declined an invitation to make an unspecified cameo appearance in the film.[59]
Possible sequel edit
Pickett wrote a sequel to his novel, Vertical, in 2011, following Miles and Jack on a road trip to Oregon with Miles' mother. Payne has declined to consider a sequel to the film. Fox Searchlight owns the rights to the characters, but Payne's lack of interest makes the film a non-starter for Fox.[60]
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. 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. 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. from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2007.
- ^ Murphy, Patsey (August 13, 2005). "California dream". Irish Times. 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. 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. 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. from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
- ^ Shaw, Lucy (May 17, 2013). . 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. from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "Sideways (2004)". Rotten Tomatoes. from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ "Sideways" June 4, 2020, at the Wayback Machine at Metacritic.
- ^ . CinemaScore. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018.
- ^ "Time Out London". Timeout.com. 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. from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
- ^ . Time. May 31, 2005. Archived from the original on June 4, 2005. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ^ . Empireonline.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
- ^ . December 22, 2013. Archived from the original on December 22, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ^ "101 Greatest Screenplays". Writers Guild of America, West. 2013. 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. from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
- ^ Meyer, Dan. "Kathleen Marshall to Direct and Choreograph Sideways: The Musical" 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. from the original on June 19, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "2005 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". www.oscars.org. 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. from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ a b "Sideways (2004) Awards & Festivals". mubi.com. from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "Film in 2005". awards.bafta.org. from the original on May 29, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ Kimmel, Daniel (December 12, 2004). "Boston film critics flip for 'Sideways'". Variety. from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "Critics' award tips Sideways for Oscar". The Guardian. January 11, 2005. from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "2005 Artios Awards". Casting Society of America. from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ Wilmington, Michael (December 21, 2004). "Chicago's critics honor 'Sideways'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "'Baby' wins top honors at Dallas film fest". USA Today. January 4, 2005. from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "DGA Announces Nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for the Year 2004". dga.org. January 6, 2005. from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "2004 FFCC Award Winners". Florida Film Critics. from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "Winners & Nominees 2005". Golden Globes. from the original on January 19, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ ""Sideways," "Maria," "Agronomist" Among Top Gotham Awards Winners". IndieWire. December 2, 2004. from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "Spirit Awards Toasts 'Sideways' With Sweep of Six Major Categories". Los Angeles Times. February 27, 2005. from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ Dams, Tim (February 9, 2005). "London Critics honour Scorsese, Sideways". Screen Daily. from the original on April 29, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "'Sideways' Wins 5 Awards From L.A. Critics, Including Best Film". Los Angeles Times. December 12, 2004. from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "2004 Archives". National Board of Review. from the original on January 19, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "Past Awards - 2004". National Society of Film Critics. December 19, 2009. from the original on May 31, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ Gelder, Lawrence Van (December 14, 2004). "Arts, Briefly; 'Sideways' Dominates Critics' Awards". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "2004 Awards (8th Annual)". Online Film Critics Society. January 3, 2012. from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ King, Susan (January 6, 2005). "Producers' '04 nominees". Los Angeles Times. from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "Critics' Favorites: Wine Country Road Movie + Incendiary Political Documentary Are Year's Big Winners". altfg.com. 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. from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ . International Press Academy. Archived from the original on February 2, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "The 11th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards | Screen Actors Guild Awards". www.sagawards.org. from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "Film critics hail Sideways as best 2004 film". The Globe and Mail. December 16, 2004. from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "'Million Dollar Baby' Wins Scripter Award". USC. January 16, 2005. from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "Critics Circle - Sideways As Year's Best Pic". The Georgia Straight. January 20, 2005. 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. from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "Sideways (2004)". www.wga.org. from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "'Sideways' gets Japanese remake". Variety.com. November 6, 2008. from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ "'Sideways' Returns, Uncorked for Japan". The New York Times. 2009. from the original on January 27, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- ^ Martin, Peter (March 30, 2009). "Paul Giamatti Kinda Trashes Japanese Remake of 'Sideways'". Cinematical.com. from the original on October 21, 2009. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
- ^ Mercer, Chris (July 17, 2012). "Sideways 2 film unlikely, says author". Decanter.com. from the original on April 21, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2014.