Sideways (2004)
Coming Out at 14 January 2005 in theaters.
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Sideways is comedy-drama road film directed by Alexander Payne and written by Jim Taylor and Payne. A film adaptation of Rex Pickett’s 2004 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. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2004, and was released in the United States on October 22, 2004.
Sideways received widespread acclaim from critics and won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Haden Church) and Best Supporting Actress (Madsen).
Miles Raymond is an unsuccessful writer, a wine aficionado, and a divorced, depressed, alcoholic middle-aged English teacher living in San Diego. He takes Jack Cole, his soon-to-be-married actor friend and former college roommate, on a road trip through the Santa Ynez Valley wine country. Though Cole is still recognized on occasion, his acting career appears to have peaked years earlier, when he had a role in a popular TV soap. He now does commercial voice-overs and plans to enter his future father-in-law’s successful real estate business. Miles wants to spend the week relaxing, playing golf and 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.
Director: Alexander Payne
Writers: Rex Pickett (novel), Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
Stars: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh, Marylouise Burke, Jessica Hecht, Missy Doty
Cast:
| Paul Giamatti | … | Miles |
| Thomas Haden Church | … | Jack |
| Virginia Madsen | … | Maya |
| Sandra Oh | … | Stephanie |
| Marylouise Burke | … | Miles’s Mother |
| Jessica Hecht | … | Victoria |
| Missy Doty | … | Cammi |
| M.C. Gainey | … | Cammi’s Husband |
| Alysia Reiner | … | Christine Erganian |
| Shake Tukhmanyan | … | Mrs. Erganian |
| Shaun Duke | … | Mike Erganian |
| Robert Covarrubias | … | Miles’s Building Manager |
| Patrick Gallagher | … | Gary the Bartender |
| Stephanie Faracy | … | Stephanie’s Mother |
| Joe Marinelli | … | Frass Canyon Pourer |
| Chris Burroughs | … | Chris at Stanford |
| Toni Howard | … | Evelyn Berman-Silverman (voice) |
| Khoren Babouchian | … | Armenian Priest |
| Lee Brooks | … | Ken Cortland |
| Peter Dennis | … | Leslie Brough |
| Alison Herson | … | Foxen Winery Pourer |
| Phil Reeves | … | Vacationing Dr. Walt Hendricks |
| Rob Trow | … | Obnoxious Golfer |
| Lacey Rae | … | Los Olivos Waitress |
| Cesar Ramos | … | Barista |
| Daniel Rogers | … | Reciting Eighth Grader |
| Natalie Carter | … | Siena |
| Simon Kassis | … | Mini-Mart Owner |
| Sevag Kendirjian | … | Armenian Deacon |
| Jaren Coler | … | Acoustic Guitarist |
| Chris Astoyan | … | Mrs. Erganian’s Son |
| JR Garcia | … | Little Boy |
| Gregory Heath | … | Tasting Room Customer |
| Adolf Hitler | … | (archive footage) |
| Alex Kalognomos | … | Alex |
| Logan Mulvey | … | Waiter |
| Parker Quinn | … | Customer in Shoe Store |
| Mikael Sharafyan | … | Armenian Wedding Guest |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia