Sideways (2004) | agoodmovietowatch

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Sideways 7.3 2004 Movie

Sideways

Dir. Alexander Payne · Hungary, Italy · Armenian, English

A potent road film filled with friendship, romance, and lots of wine

Our take by Renee Cuisia

Best friends Miles and Jack are off to wine country to celebrate Jack’s last week of freedom before he gets married. They drop white lies about themselves, with Miles pretending to be a successful writer and Jack not mentioning his impending wedding, and soon meet two beautiful women whom they spend the rest of their stay with. What sounds like a dreamy bachelor’s celebration, however, soon unravels into a messy tangle of tall tales. Miles and Jack contemplate their situation in smart, sad, and silly turns, delivering excellent performances and an overall hard-hitting road movie. 

What happens

Two middle-aged men embark on a spiritual journey through Californian wine country. One is an unpublished novelist suffering from depression, and the other is only days away from walking down the aisle.

What the critics said

Notable Critics

"It's clear that the filmmakers -- Alexander Payne, the director and screenwriter, and Jim Taylor, his co-writer -- know what they are up to."

— David Denby

"The sweetest, funniest, most humane movie I've seen all year."

— Peter Rainer

Awards

Oscars

1 win · 4 noms

Won: Best Adapted ScreenplayNominated: Best DirectorNominated: Best PictureNominated: Best Supporting ActorNominated: Best Supporting Actress

Golden Globes

7 noms

Nominated: Best ScreenplayNominated: Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or ComedyNominated: Best DirectorNominated: Best Motion Picture: Musical or ComedyNominated: Best Original ScoreNominated: Best Supporting Actor – Motion PictureNominated: Best Supporting Actress

SAG Awards

1 win · 3 noms

Won: Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureNominated: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting RoleNominated: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading RoleNominated: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

DGA

1 nom

Nominated: Outstanding Directing – Feature Film

Spirit Awards

6 wins

Won: Best DirectorWon: Best FilmWon: Best Male LeadWon: Best ScreenplayWon: Best Supporting FemaleWon: Best Supporting Male

WGA

1 win

Won: Best Adapted Screenplay

Nat. Board of Review

3 wins

Won: Best Adapted ScreenplayWon: Best Supporting ActorWon: Top Ten Films

NYFCC

4 wins

Won: Best ActorWon: Best FilmWon: Best ScreenplayWon: Best Supporting Actress

LAFCA

5 wins · 1 nom

Won: Best DirectorWon: Best FilmWon: Best ScreenplayWon: Best Supporting ActorWon: Best Supporting ActressNominated: Best Actor

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About the author

Renee Cuisia

Renee Cuisia

Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.