Sideways is a step forward

Satire is difficult. One misstep in tone and the delicate house of cards a satirist build comes crashing to the ground making the would-be creator look hapless and/or cruel. This happened to Alexander Payne with his previous film About Schmidt. Payne had nothing but contempt for pretty much every single one of his characters. This was a surprise coming off the pitch-perfect success of Election, a film so scathingly on-point that I have heard people of every political persuasion reading the film as an argument for their side. This brings us to Sideways a film that is certainly a step forward from Schmidt, but still one that poses some difficult questions for Payne's career. This time out Payne is pretty clear about his opinion towards his two main characters, and he allows them their bad behavior without belittling them. Thomas Haden Church is an unappealing lothario, but he certainly is a recognizable three-dimensional person. This however is the Paul Giamatti show. His depressive moping is well-acted, but the fact is this feels like a role any number of talented actors could have played (unlike his first-rate work as Harvey Pekar in American Splendor). The screenplay probably reads beautifully, and Giamatti and Virginia Madsen make every moment of an overwritten exchange about how he sees himself as a delicate grape (they are both way into wine). Although the actors are sharp enough to bring out all of the nuances, there are instances where Payne overplays his hand. A shot that lingers on a men's room sign drives home a point that was made far more subtly in the scene that precedes it. While it may sound like I'm down on this film I truly am not. This is a very small film that I wish went deeper into the the two female characters. It is a very good piece of work. But very good feels like a bit of a let down when expecting great.