Hollywood gave itself a selfcongratulatory pat on the back this week - by Oscar-nominating SIDEWAYS (15) as one of the five best film contenders.
The great and the good were obviously thrilled to have seen an auteur's film which relies on character development over violence and manages some considerable hilarity without resorting to animal sex (Meet the Fockers) and/or toilet scenes (Ben Stiller again! - Along Came Polly).
But for every silver lining there has to be a cloud... and leading man Paul Giamatti (American Splendor) must have been gutted that co-star Thomas Haden Church got a best supporting actor nod and Virginia Madsen another for best supporting actress while he was ignored by the Academy.
After making Elected and About Schmidt, perhaps Alexander Payne deserved his own best director nod under the unofficial 'totting up' procedure which has seen Clint Eastwood get his first best actor nomination at 74. Yet Sideways is more for the select art house crowd than the crowd-pleasing senility of Meet the Fockers.
Based on Rex Pickett's novel with enough skill to win Payne a second nomination for best adapted screenplay, this is an engaging study of old friends Miles (Giamatti) and Jack (Church) going on a journey through California's wine country in search of wine, women and themselves.
Overlong at 127 minutes and struggling for pace accordingly, Sideways nevertheless builds into a tragi-comedy as it heads, like About Schmidt before it, towards a (Jack's) wedding.
Thirsty wine lovers will be gagging during the long discussions about the vineyard nectar, marriage guidance counsellors will be enthralled by the fruity male dynamics with Maya (Madsen) and it's doubtful if anyone will see a headier scene all year than Miles' daringlyfunny wallet retrieval sequence.
So, is this a natural-born Oscar winner? I doubt it.
But do think of it as a glass of bubbly that's three quarters full, rather than one quarter empty.
