Sideways

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 ...more

When it comes to playing a schlub, Paul Giamatti has no peer. His ascension to the status of lead actor is a godsend for lovers of cinema, and it's hard to overstate his accomplishment in following up his wonderfully nuanced performance as crank Harvey Pekar in American Splendor with his heartbreakingly rich lead performance as Miles Raymond in Sideways. Other actors excel at playing sad sack characters, but few are as adept as Giamatti at precisely dramatizing self-inflicted misery. Sideways, ...more