Sideways (2004)

Academy Awards, USA 2005

Winner Oscar	Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay Alexander Payne Jim Taylor
Nominee Oscar	Best Motion Picture of the Year Michael London
	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Thomas Haden Church
	Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Virginia Madsen
	Best Achievement in Directing Alexander Payne

Fox Searchlight Pictures
Directed by Alexander Payne
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Fox)

Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church are old college buddies who take a road trip through California wine county to celebrate Church's upcoming wedding. Giamatti, recently divorced, just wants to relax and play golf, but Church is intent on having a final fling. He soon enough finds a willing bartender at a winery, and they go on a double date with a waitress Giamatti knows. All goes well for a couple of days until Giamatti lets it slip that his friend is getting married in a few days. They deal with the fallout with the two girls. Church wastes no time in finding another waitress getting them into even deeper trouble. It's sort of a mismatched buddy movie, and at times difficult to believe that these two very different people could actually be friends. Still, Giamatti is a revelation and his characterization is just wonderful to watch unfold. The sex can be jarring, and the wine talk boring, but it is also frequently laugh-out-loud funny. A mixed bag to be sure.