Sideways, Alexander Payne, Film Review

After hearing much hullabaloo about how great this film was, it was hard to see it with an open mind. As a big fan of the previous Alexander Payne film Election, I was expecting a wry film with some interesting shots and editing. As a whole, this film disappointed me, it took a long time to get going and when it did, the characters depressed me, but not in the way they were supposed to. I have no problem watching two guys in a motel room, watching golf, as long as it is a home video of myself on vacation with a friend. As a matter of fact on second thought, I would rather watch a pot that was going to boil than watch two guys sitting in a motel room watching golf.

What stuck out in my mind the most about this film was its obvious parallel to Midnight Cowboy. You have the crippled con man who makes the oddest of friendships with the all American, ruggedly handsome, American man. Paul Giamatti of course being emotionally crippled and Dustin Hoffman physically, but you get my drift? Both blonde men in both films, have no problems with women, while the friends struggle just to survive in the world at all, the blonde men both believe that life is all about sex, and give the friends a hard time for not "getting any", and the crippled friends will let you believe that is the furthest thing from their minds. They don't seem believable as friends, yet they both need each other, and after time you see how they fill each others voids. I digress, back to Sideways, and put Midnight Cowboy on hold, the film tried to be too smart, the dialogue about why Paul Giamatti loves pinot was an obvious attempt at clever script writing, if you are watching a film thinking this is trying to be intelligent, rather than getting carried away by it, it is a failure and pretentious. The acting was pretty good however which is the only thing that saves this depressing waste of time about two men going through midlife crises. The only reason this film is worth while is for the acting. Go see Midnight Cowboy, and if you've already seen it, see Sam Peckinpahs Straw Dogs.