So how bad is "Sideways"?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

This movie has been a critics' darling, but I've heard many people tearing it apart--is it really that bad or is this overzealous devil's advocating?

― jay blanchard (jay blanchard), Wednesday, 19 January 2005 20:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Not bad, just a ludicrous candidate for the year's best film (American film, even).

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 19 January 2005 22:48 (twenty-one years ago)

it's ok. the ending is kind of ridiculous.

― ryan (ryan), Thursday, 20 January 2005 00:17 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

What was so ridiculous about the ending?

― Grand Epic (Grand Epic), Saturday, 12 March 2005 01:04 (twenty-one years ago)

The nice thing at this point is that I'm usually only recalling the things I liked about this film (i.e. making a film about alcoholism without making it the primary message; Virginia Madsen turning obvious scriptwriter conventions/metaphors into a confident mask for an otherwise hamfisted romantic pass), as opposed to the other 90% of the film.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Saturday, 12 March 2005 01:18 (twenty-one years ago)

It's a film which had the bad taste to get itself nominated for some non-screenwriting Oscars. Therefore, it must be second-guessed.

That's about all you need to know, like it or not.

(I enjoyed it, but that's a meaningless qualifier.)

― Girolamo Savonarola, Saturday, 12 March 2005 21:59 (twenty-one years ago)

two weeks pass...

the director shows us nice things and there's a lot of subtle details under the surface of what he chooses to present in the film. more than the typical "indie movie" viewer would care to look for.

― cornelius crash (cornelius crash), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 05:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Lovely, lovely script. Slight, but lovely. Except for the beginning. In which nothing really happened until he stole money from his mother. And why am I interested in watching a guy move his car so he doesn't get a ticket? That not, like, good drama.

― Remy (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 17:24 (twenty-one years ago)

sooooooooooo bland

― a banana (alanbanana), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 02:15 (twenty-one years ago)

impressions I took away from Sideways: "Damn, I really want to live in Sandra Oh's house. I wonder what rent in rural wine country would run." (answer: An ungodly amount, far more than a vineyard employee (or I) could afford.)

This has become a recurring theme with movies I kind of liked but didn't care much about. The Dern-Ruffalo bungalow in We Don't Live Here Anymore? Fantastic. Frances McDormand's loft in Blood Simple? Incredible. The movies? Not so much.

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 06:48 (twenty-one years ago)

there's a lot of subtle details under the surface of what he chooses to present in the film. more than the typical "indie movie" viewer would care to look for.

What dey iz?

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 07:17 (twenty-one years ago)

well one example from the election dvd commentary that didn't do wonders for my opinion of mr. payne is that reese's character is associated with straight lines (e.g. snapping out the legs of a folding table) while broderick's is associated with circles & wiggly paths (e.g. running around a track.)

― andrew s (andrew s), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 14:55 (twenty-one years ago)

i mean the day is just too short for me to spend a lot of time "caring to look for" that stuff

― andrew s (andrew s), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 14:56 (twenty-one years ago)

The Dern-Ruffalo bungalow in We Don't Live Here Anymore? Fantastic.

OTM!!! I kept thinking as I walked out of that film if I perhaps overpraised it in my mind because I loved the natural light in that house.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 23:08 (twenty-one years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.