Underplayed Gems

Sideways (2004)

Sideways poster
Directed by
Alexander Payne
Genre
drama film, buddy film, comedy drama, romantic comedy film
Country
United States
Runtime
2h 07m
Rated
R
Rating
7.1 of 10 from 1,906 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A depressed teacher and a washed-up actor take a road trip through California wine country before the actor gets married. They meet two women and deal with their own failures and desires.

bittersweetwryoffbeatreflectiveintimatemellowwanderinghuman

What happens

Sideways is a 2004 American comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Payne and written by Jim Taylor and Payne. A film adaptation of Rex Pickett's 2004 novel, Sideways follows two men in their forties, Miles Raymond (Paul Giamatti), a depressed teacher and unsuccessful writer, and Jack Cole (Thomas Haden Church), a past-his-prime actor, who take a week-long road trip to Santa Barbara County wine country to celebrate Jack's upcoming wedding. Sandra Oh and Virginia Madsen also star as women they encounter during their trip. Sideways premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2004, and was released in the United States on October 22, 2004 by Fox Searchlight Pictures. It received widespread acclaim from critics and is regarded as one of the greatest films of the 2000s. At the 77th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Haden Church), Best Supporting Actress (Madsen), and Best Adapted Screenplay, the last of which it won. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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