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Movie Overview
Cast
• Paul Giamatti
• Thomas Haden Church
• Virginia Madsen
Director
• Alexander Payne
MPAA Rating
R - language, some strong sexual content, and nudity
Sideways (2004)

REVIEWS
NEWS
INTERVIEWS OTHER
OFCS Rating: 95% Fresh
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"[T]he irony and realism inform each other in an ongoing way new for [Payne and Taylor]."  Blogcritics.org  Alan Dale

5/5
"Un brindis completo por el amor, por la vida, por la madurez anhelada."  Cinenganos  Alex Ramirez

3/4
"Payne's most emotionally intelligent film to date"  Film Freak Central  Bill Chambers

A-
"It truly is a testament to Payne’s skill that Sideways has come out a deeply entertaining and intensely honest motion picture."  FilmJerk.com  Brian Orndorf

"Always a resourceful, thoughtful performer, Madsen almost offsets Sideways' overriding, occasionally prosaic interest in the boys' journey."  PopMatters  Cynthia Fuchs

3.5/4
"The wine metaphors flow like, er... wine in this bold, boisterous, and eminently quaffable road movie/buddy movie hybrid from director Alexander Payne."  Movie Boeuf  David N. Butterworth

3/4
"[Paul] Giamatti's never been better..."  Reel Film Reviews  David Nusair

A-
"A beautifully realized but, nevertheless, all too familiar story about a pained man."  Ozus' World Movie Reviews  Dennis Schwartz

3/4
"Its often low-key study of human interactions and bonding is quietly truthful and erudite."  TheMovieBoy.com  Dustin Putman

5/5
"Yo me serviría otra copa y trataría de volver a disfrutar de los mismos sabores. Seguro que surgirían otras vetas que estaban esperando para sorprendernos."  Uruguay Total  Enrique Buchichio

B+
"Now that Alexander Payne has made four films and all of them have been excellent, we can officially declare him one of the best directors currently working."  EricDSnider.com  Eric D. Snider

3.5/4
"Finds the absolute perfect note to end on, stripping away all the double-talk and simply finding a way to just open up and enjoy every ounce of flavor that life offers."  eFilmCritic.com  Erik Childress

A
"A hell of a movie, wonderful and sad, not quite real life but parallel to it, treating its characters with respect and something bordering on love."  Film Blather  Eugene Novikov

4/4
"Provocatively sharp in its charm and thorough wit. Sideways is articulate and vibrantly realized...beautifully written with emotional insight and intoxicating flair"  Movie Eye  Frank Ochieng

A
"Easily one of the year's best films--both funny and sad, charming and poignant...an intoxicating treat."  One Guy's Opinion  Frank Swietek

5/5
"Sideways is a buddy movie that is a delight from start to finish: it offers a round-trip ticket to the rewards of friendship and the follies and frustrations of middle-age."  Spirituality and Practice  Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

C-
"It is, in almost every way, less than it could or should be."  Mixed Reviews  Gabriel Shanks

3.5/4
"The characters in Sideways are better developed than those in the earlier films, the poignancy is just as forceful as it was in About Schmidt, and the comedy is slightly better integrated."  ReelViews  James Berardinelli

4/4
"a genuinely touching ode to the foibles of masculinity gone middle-age crazy"  Q Network Film Desk  James Kendrick

5/5
"A wine-country bachelor trip for two lifelong friends goes more than a little sour in one of the best movies of the year."  Netflix  James Rocchi

3/4
"Giamatti handily raises what could've been a pedestrian road trip romance into the stratosphere of a world-class character study"  Perihelion Journal  Jay Antani

4/4
"A brilliant exploration of life, longing and second chances."  Palo Alto Weekly  Jeanne Aufmuth

8/10
"The people seem real, the restaurants feel as if you could just walk right in ... and the homes are messy and lived-in. Payne captures his locations with honesty."  ReelTalk Movie Reviews  Jeffrey Chen

"Maya is a perfect fit for Madsen, smart, sexy, down-to-earth, vividly alive just beneath a placid surface."  Pajiba  Jeremy C. Fox

15/100
"A knowingly-clever and downright-insulting movie that does little more than talk down to its audience."  FilmFocus  Joe Utichi

4/5
"Payne's most enjoyable movie since Election "  ToxicUniverse.com  John A. Nesbit

7/10
"The movie has an abundance of high energy and good spirits and seldom takes itself too seriously...."  DVDTown.com  John J. Puccio

"Payne once again does an incredible job creating deeply flawed but extremely likable characters. portrayed in shockingly real performances."  Planet Sick-Boy  Jon Popick

3.5/4
"In Payne's overarching triumph, Sideways is a sensitive, to the point of disturbing, expose of love....love that can blossom with that high school hallway sweetness even in the withered garden of midlife."  Bangitout.com  Jordan Hiller

3.5/4
"'La fortaleza del filme se encuentra en el enorme respeto que Payne muestra por sus personajes, así como en un estupendo elenco como el que pocas veces se puede juntar'"  Moviola  Jorge Avila Andrade

4/5
"click to read article [Greek]"  Movies for the Masses  Joseph Proimakis

5/5
"They do stupid, mean, embarrassing, and/or unintentionally hilarious things, and yet are portrayed so lovingly that we love them in spite of it. Giamatti: genius as always."  Cinerina  Karina Montgomery

2.5/4
"More than anything, Sideways furthers the impression that Alexander Payne is a great structuralist filmmaker."  Slant Magazine  Keith Uhlich

3.0/4.0
"... there is an underlying honesty... that manages to transcend a critic-friendly film and strike a chord about life."  MovieCrypt.com  Kevin A. Ranson

3.5/4
"As Sideways progressed to its near-perfect final scene, I found myself genuinely loving it."  Montreal Film Journal  Kevin N. Laforest

A
"a sure bet to age like a classic"  Reeling Reviews  Laura Clifford

"A relentless and painfully funny critique of masculine pretense and selfishness, of which wine fetishism is the apotheosis."  Not Coming to a Theater Near You  Leo Goldsmith

4/4
"Takes great pleasure in finding absurdity in the routine and picking apart the foibles of human nature, both of which are the cornerstone of that great comedy that is life."  Mark Reviews Movies  Mark Dujsik

A-
"Payne and Taylor excel at getting underneath these tough exteriors and portray these people for what they are, warts and all."  Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema  Mark Pfeiffer

6/10
"Really just a likable romantic comedy of personality as two buddies learn about each other on a road trip. The film will be of particular interest to wine lovers."  rec.arts.movies.reviews  Mark R. Leeper

3.5/4
"Not quite perfect, but full bodied with lots of subtle overtones"  Movie Habit  Marty Mapes

"[W]onderfully, beautifully realized, with a wise, literate bent..."  Flick Filosopher  MaryAnn Johanson

4.5/5
"Alexander Payne is becoming one of the greatest American directors of modern cinema and again, Sideways is on its way to being one of the best films of the year. "  Film Threat  Michael Ferraro

4/5
"I really, really liked this movie, but I have to admit that I think it is a tad overrated."  Goatdog's Movies  Michael W. Phillips, Jr.

4/4
"Every so often, a movie comes along that just about seems perfect. Sideways is one of those movies."  Aisle Seat  Mike McGranaghan

A-
"Richer, headier, and more complex, just like a fine wine. Among multiplexes filled with the movie equivalent of generic brand cola, this is a rare movie for grown-ups."  Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies  Nell Minow

"Maintains a deft balance between breezy joviality and understated poignancy."  Lessons of Darkness  Nick Schager

5/5
"Payne leva o espectador a se envolver com figuras que, em produções menos ambiciosas, seriam retratadas como seres desagradáveis e repulsivos."  Cinema em Cena  Pablo Villaca

5/5
"'Sideways' is one of those rare films where every single element and detail, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, feels absolutely right."  eFilmCritic.com  Peter Sobczynski

4.5/5
"Payne and Taylor continue to skewer American society with this brilliant comedy about ambitions and expectations."  Shadows on the Wall  Rich Cline
OFCS Rating: 95% Fresh
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