Slow on the blog: Sideways

Greetings readers for Day 3 of Local Talent and we might as well talk about a writer/producer/director that has managed a great deal with his talents of covering drama and dark humor. He has a few themes commonly associated with his film. Using actually people for minor roles, cops as cops, teachers as teachers and so on. He seems to enjoy museums and monologues over the phone and more of his film revolve around marriage trials and tribulations and the odd spot of adultery. The main character is always complex, lonely and on the verge of depression. Director of said films such as: Citizen Ruth, Election, About Schmidt, The Descendants and Nebraska. I speak of the talented Alexander Payne and this is Sideways.

So the beard makes me look more like Charlton Heston, right?

Miles (Paul Giamatti of Private Parts, Saving Private Ryan, The Negotiator, Man on the Moon, Cinderella Man, John Dies at the End and Billions) is a writer...a rather failed writer that everything he has submitted. Attempts has brought him nothing aside from being an English teacher in San Diego. Middle-aged and irked at the writing community he has a book waiting to be approved by a publisher. His best friend and former college roommate Jack (Thomas Haden Church of Wings, Ned and Stacey, One Night Stand, Mr. Murder, 3000 miles to Graceland, Spanglish, Spider-Man 3 and Easy A) is a television actor whose career peaked long ago starring in a soap opera he is relegated to doing voice over work just to make ends meet. To be honest, he is about 3 months away from doing boat shows with David Hasselhoff.

Jack is getting married and will be taking over his soon-to-be father-in-law's used car dealership. Miles is a wine aficionado and will drag Jack off for some golf, wine and good times. Jack tells Miles he is looking to sow his oats and have one last fling Miles isn't really disgusted by this notion but he is uncomfortable until he re-connects with Maya (Virginia Madsen of Highlander II: The Quickening, Candyman, The Prophecy, The Number 23 and The Haunting in Connecticut) as one professional to another and some mild flirting but nothing of fruition. Jack points out Maya's lack of a ring and pointed out so clearly she is available.

What? I'm eye candy? Oh what a rip.

Jack starts hitting on Stephanie (Sandra Oh of Arli$$, The Proud Family, Under the Tuscan Sun, Mulan II, Cake and American Dragon: Jake Long) a waitress and they start hitting it off as Stephanie suggests some Netflix and chill. Okay, more wine and tommyrot but Netflix and chill sounded saucier. Jack and Stephanie go upstairs to bone and Miles and Maya converse over wine and the love of such. He gives Maya a copy of his manuscript for her to peruse.

The weekend goes pretty well that Jack has second thoughts about his marriage as he sees himself moving to wine country and starting a new life and so on. Miles and Maya get busy and start having a genuine relationship until he let slip Jack is supposed to get married.

Will Jack make it out alive?? Can Miles keep Maya in spite of concealing the truth?

A teensy bit of trivia now. The food that Miles, Jack and Mile's mother eat dinner at Mile's childhood home gave all three actors food poisoning. During his audition, Thomas Haden Church stripped down because the scene called for it. Of course he later learned that he was the only actor that did that. 

When in doubt, booze it up!