Sideways

After The Aviator and Million Dollar Baby, Sideways is the third film released in January that is predicted to play a significant role in next month's Oscars. The person we're most concerned with here is the wine loving Miles (Paul Giamatti), a forty-something teacher who is desperate to see his latest attempt at a great American novel published. Early on, Miles and his washed up actor buddy Jack (Thomas Haden Church) hit the road for a week long stag do, to be spent in the winemaking valleys of northern California. Here's the catch: Miles just wants to drink expensive hooch and wallow in his failure complex, while the boisterous Jack is desperate to get laid a few times before he gets married. Before you can say, 'Lambrasco '87, a good year', the pair have settled in a small wine-making hamlet where a couple of local women (Sandra Oh and Virginia Madsen) have piqued their interest.

Repeating the trick of his last film, About Schmidt, director Alexander Payne focuses on a slight but life-changing event in the mundane existence of his protagonist. Subtle and low-key, Payne smartly concentrates all his energies on character, and in the process elegantly constructs a smartly fired dramatic comedy. The gags aren't as relentless as the premise may suggest - this isn't your average buddy movie, thank God - but the characters are so richly etched and Payne's restrained, intelligent handling of both the story and his actors means that Sideways already has a touch of vintage about it. Go see.