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Entertaining, nothing more. Sideways is an entertaining but vastly overrated film about the pleasures of life and wine. A first-rate cast deliver good, but not extraordinary performances in this tale about two men reaching middle age with not much to show but disappointment, who embark on a week long road trip through California's wine country, just as one is about to take a trip down the altar. If anyone in this film deserved an Oscar nomination it was Paul Giamatti, a terrific actor always overlooked by the Academy for his brilliant turns in independent cinema. He is constantly robbed of a nomination, and is once again shut out for this film. Sandra Oh was also robbed, the nomination instead going to Virginia Madsen, an actress I've admired since seeing Candyman, but whose performance I thought was nothing out of the ordinary. She wasn't the problem at all, it was more the fact that her role was very small and she didn't have scenes of pure emotion that Sandra Oh's character had. All the actors were good,if not special, but the wrong actors were nominated. The screenplay, written by director Alexander Payne (Sandra Oh's husband) and Jim Taylor, from the novel by Rex Pickett, is a twist on the conventional romantic comedy. One of its most wonderful qualities is that all four characters are necessary. The women are not plot conveniences, but elements in a complex romantic and even therapeutic process. It is these characters that make the movie so likeable, and different from other romantic comedies. I liked this movie, but wasn't impressed by it. Yes, I was entertained, but didn't leave the theatre a changed man that movies like Million Dollar Baby made me feel. Perhaps I have to see it again to truly appreciate it, but I just feel this was a really good film for the romantic comedy genre and nothing more. I recommend it yes, but beware, it is one of the most overrated films of the year, if not ever. Wine lovers might especially enjoy the dialogue, especially a scene between Giamanti and Madsen, who is the one scene I think got her the nomination. See this movie because it is entertaining, not because you've heard it's a masterpiece and you'll come out enjoying it. Otherwise, I know plenty of people who hated it because it's so overrated.