Sideways | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Alexander Payne |
Produced by | Michael London |
Screenplay by | Alexander Payne Jim Taylor |
Based on |
Sideways by Rex Pickett |
Starring |
Paul Giamatti Thomas Haden Church Virginia Madsen Sandra Oh |
Music by | Rolfe Kent |
Cinematography | Phedon Papamichael |
Edited by | Kevin Tent |
Production
company |
Michael London Productions
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Distributed by | Fox Searchlight Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
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123 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $16 million |
Box office | $109.7 million |
Sideways | ||||
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Soundtrack album by Rolfe Kent | ||||
Released | 12 October 2004 | |||
Recorded | 2004 | |||
Genre | Soundtrack | |||
Length | 37:24 | |||
Label | New Line Records | |||
Producer | Rolfe Kent | |||
Rolfe Kent chronology | ||||
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Sideways is a 2004 American comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Payne and written by Jim Taylor and Payne. A film adaptation of Rex Pickett's novel of the same name, Sideways follows two men in their forties, Miles Raymond (Paul Giamatti), a depressed teacher and unsuccessful writer and Jack Cole (Thomas Haden Church), a past-his-prime actor, who take a week-long road trip to Santa Barbara County wine country to celebrate Jack's upcoming wedding. Sandra Oh and Virginia Madsen also star.
Payne and Taylor won multiple awards for their screenplay. The principal actors and actresses received accolades for their performances. Sideways won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and was nominated for four other awards including Best Picture. The film premiered at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2004 and was released in the United States on October 22, 2004.
As the film's cartoon poster suggests, the film is titled "Sideways" because, to age properly, wine bottles must be laid on their side; and similarly, anyone stuck in middle age must go "sideways in life" so as to change his ways and to grow as a person.
Miles Raymond is an aspiring – but unsuccessful – writer, a wine aficionado and a divorced, depressed, borderline alcoholic middle-aged English teacher living in San Diego, who takes his soon-to-be-married actor friend and former college roommate, Jack Cole, on a road trip through Santa Ynez Valley wine country. Though still recognized on occasion, Jack's acting career appears to have peaked years ago, when he had a role in a popular TV soap but now does commercial voice-overs and plans to enter his future father-in-law's successful real estate business after he's married. Miles wants to spend the week relaxing, golfing, enjoying good food and wine; however, much to Miles' consternation, Jack is on the prowl and wants one last sexual fling before settling into domestic life.