Jivemonkey's Perfect Lil' Wurld

Sideways : WOW! I loved this movie for many reasons. First, Paul Giamatti as Miles was fantastic as a middle school teacher (hits close to home here) aspiring novelist & wine enthusiast (almost to the point of being an alcoholic.) He & His college buddy Jack (the very funny Thomas Haden Church) are going on a week-long wine tasting trip up the California coast to celebrate Jack's impending nuptials. While Miles has golf, wine and relaxing planned, Jack has other things in mind, namely getting himself laid. A lot. Enter Maya (Virginia Madsen) and Stephanie ( Sandra Oh) two local women the boys begin seeing. Miles is a regular visitor here, and has known (and has had a thing for) Maya for a while. Jack & Stephanie "hit it off" right away, and Jack begins to have doubts about his marriage plans. There are so many unexpected things about this movie! It's touching, hilariously strange and unlike most other films you'll see.
While the wines in this film are discussed almost like characters themselves, the real treat is watching these four play together. This is a very character-driven film, and if you are as sick of big-budget schlock as I am, you'll agree Sideways is a breath of fresh air. Alexander Payne has created this third great film in a row (Election & About Schmidt ) and I am looking forward to seeing his next film, Nebraska.