SIDEWAYS d: Alexander Payne
Sideways (2004)
Director: Alexander Payne
Screenplay: Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, from Rex Pickett’s novel
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh
DAYS OF WINE AND LOSERS
With Election, Alexander Payne demonstrated a flair for satirical comedy the likes of which would have turned Billy Wilder green with envy. With About Schmidt, Payne demonstrated that his comedic flair could go the way of Wilder’s in fluff like Sabrina — artificial, cutesy, and bland. In Sideways, Payne unfortunately opted for Schmidt’s route. I found his adaptation (with Jim Taylor) of Rex Pickett’s novel an overlong, superficial, and thoroughly unconvincing road movie about adult men — who should have been killed at birth — learning to grow up.
First of all, the film’s [...]
by Andre Soares | September 28, 2004
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Tags: Alexander Payne, Film Reviews, Jim Taylor, Oscar 2004, Oscar Movies, Paul Giamatti, Sandra Oh, Sideways, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen
