According to the Talmud, the grape is a fruit with the potential to become greater than itself. Alone, on the vine, it is a mere berry, that if left to its devices would shrivel in the sun and find its way into a tiny cardboard box. But with the assistance of man, and with the blessings of its creator, there is the bounty and sanctity of wine. Wine, which intoxicates, inspires, and exhilarates the spirit, and upon which we begin and end our holiest (and sometimes unholiest) of moments.
Without being patronizing or obvious, Alex (Election) Payne has crafted a beautiful and delicately humorous film utilizing the grape to wine metaphor, sometimes spelling it out, but more often letting the realization uncomfortably and disarmingly sink in (as Payne has become the master of this sleight of hand technique). Most independent directors will drift closer and closer to the mainstream as their successful independent careers progress (Cuaron, Nolan, Aronofsky to name a few), but Alex Payne, who may be the most “for real” out of the class seems to be a miraculous exception.
His stories are always simple in concept yet heavy in pathos and Sideways rings true. Here, two long time buddies, a struggling writer (Paul Giamatti) and an over the hill former soap star (Thomas Haden Church) hit the road to California's wine country in an effort to kick back for the final week before Church's wedding. The week is the movie, divided into seven segments, one for each day. What ensues is typical road trip madness. You know, trips to the hospital, sex with married strangers, and naked sprints through an ostrich farm