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Funny, yet stinging comedy When I watched Sideways, it was in a pretty diverse movie theater audience. And there was lots of laughter, throughout the movie. But it wasnt the kind of hearty belly-laugh, but more of a nervous chuckle. It's like, "Wow, these guys are losers, but wow, these guys are me, or me in 20 years." And thus the genius of Sideways. Miles (Paul Giamatti) is a depressed 8th grade teacher and insufferable wine snob/alchoholic. His drinking ruined his marriage. He's taking his best friend Jack, a washed-up, insecure actor, on a one-week tour of California's wine country as a bachelor party of sorts, as Jack's "days of freedom" will soon be over. Jack (Thomas Haden Church) is crude and horny, and he announces that his #1 goal is to "get laid." His number two goal is to "get Miles laid." These guys are both middle-age losers, the type who sit at bars until the restaurant closes. Yet, there were so many things about them that were painfully familiar. When Miles rejects wine after wine, I remembered my college days, when I went to wine tastings with my friends and pretended to be a wine snob. ("Too much oak, not enough honey," etc.) In one funny scene Miles screeches that he will NOT eat at a dinner that serves merlot. And Jack, despite his lothario ways, is also cheerful and loyal and strangely endearing. Miles needs to pop a xanax before entering a restaurant, Jack screeches for his friend's Vicodin after a brawl. When Jack nervously asks his friend Miles whethere he "drank and dialed" his ex, you see the genuine bond between these two sadsacks. These are all things I could sort of identify with. Embarrassing moments, but, admit it, you've had them too. Along the way the pair meet Maya (the lovely Virginia Madsen), a waitress who, like Miles, is a wine snob. The two instantly hit it off, and in one wonderful scene they talk about why they like wine so much. Miles says he likes pinot noir because of how hard it is to grow. The dialogue could have seemed contrived but thanks to Giamatti, Madsen, and director Alexander Payne it's very touching and even heartwarming. In fact, the acting in the whole movie is excellent. Haden Church in particular takes what could have been a truly obnoxious character and makes him endearing and even sympathetic. Even his self-absorption isn't hateful. He steals every scene he's in. The movie is a mix of male-bonding, slapstick, and romance, and it manages to be both depressing and funny at the same time. My friend turned to me and said, "Wow, I could see myself being Miles in 20 years." But he enjoyed the movie too. So congratulations to Alexander Payne and his cast for creating a movie about some seriously depressing characters that is so warm and funny.