Robert Trow Movies
Directed by Alexander Payne, Sideways follows Miles (Paul Giamatti), who is distressed about his lack of success as a novelist, and Jack (Thomas Haden Church), an equally unsuccessful actor with a rapidly approaching wedding. In a last-ditch effort to sow their wild oats, Jack and Miles take off on a final road trip to California's wine country the week prior to Jack's wedding. Both men have goals for the vacation -- Miles wants to turn Jack on to the art of wine tasting, while Jack is concerned with exploiting his last days as a bachelor -- but when the two men come across two fascinating women (Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh), the duo is forced to examine their morality, and if maturity isn't such a depressing prospect -- at least, for one of them. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, (more)
- 1972
- R
Incredibly, this romantic melodrama was directed by the same man who brought The Night of the Living Dead to the screen. The story concerns a recently discharged young army veteran (Ray Laine), who doesn't want a regular job but wants to drift around and enjoy things for a while. He finds a girlfriend with a good job (Judith Streiner) who is willing to support him while he pretends to be writing a novel, and they have a good time for a while. Eventually she tries to get him to take a regular job. He does, but quickly gives it up. When she discovers that she is pregnant, she goes through a lot of soul-searching about it without telling him. At first she plans to have an abortion but then decides to return to her hometown and marry a childhood sweetheart who is comfortable with her having a baby. Landing on his feet, the army veteran decides to take up his father's offer of a job and a place to live after all. His father consoles him with the aphorism that when other "flavors" of life pall, "there's always vanilla." ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
