Sideways

Year: 2004 Rating: R Overall Evaluation: 3.5 Significance Suppositions Story Style 4.0 / 10 4.0 / 10 3.0 / 10 3.0 / 10 Click HERE for evaluation criteria.

Style

Rated R for language, some strong sexual content and nudity. As far as language goes, let's just say that when first word of the movie is "F**k" you know you've picked a winner. Sexual scenes are gratuitous and disgusting. OK, that was the point (I think) but - yuck. There is also a brief scene of drug use in front of a small girl.

Story

The story is about two completely self-absorbed losers going on a wine tasting tour for a week prior to one of them getting married. One of the losers is a chronically depressed struggling author and wine expert - divorced two years ago for committing adultery and still not over it. The second loser, the one getting married, is a compulsive womanizer and has-been actor who does voice-overs for commercials now. They meet a couple of women, one who drinks and smokes pot in front of her little daughter and another, the most morally upright of the bunch, who is into wine because "it tastes so f**king good." Yeah, very interesting. That this movie was billed as a comedy baffles the imagination - it is sad to watch and the pathetic lives of these men are certainly not worth laughing at.

Suppositions

The worldview is difficult to grasp. On the one hand, if the entire movie - every scene - is taken as a tragic portrayal of what happens to people who have no grip on real life and spend all their time chasing happiness in all the wrong places then it would be good. Unfortunately the movie offers not one shred of redemption for these two. The only thing remotely approaching a turning point is when loser #2 decides he really needs to not destroy his marriage (by leaving his wallet and wedding rings at his latest conquest's house after her husband came home). But even this is just another way to make himself happy. Thus, the movie comes across as just being "how it is" and offers nothing in its place. Pathetic.

Significance

With the above difficulties in mind it is hard to guess at what the significance of the film might be. Again, taken as an illustration of where vanity and self-absorption will get someone, it is good. But, because none of the characters exhibit any real change throughout the film this message could only be said to be implied. True, each of the losers does finally make a decision that might, someday, get them out of their ruts - but this is far from clear, and even doubtful considering that their decisions are barely out of character and therefore demonstrates no true redemption.