Glennalicious

Oh honey. I loved this film because I know so many guys just like Miles and Jack. Hell - I AM Victoria! Not only is Paul Giamatti the exact physical duplicate of my ex-husband... I've had some mutual friends tell me that his behavior since I left him sort of mirrors Mile's.

However, my personal connection aside, it's not genetics that causes sensitive guys to turn into self-loathing sucker, or aggressive go-getters to turn into users. It's a lack of positive rearing - not necessarily by parents. All I could think of when I left the theatre was how much a) great friends and b) great therapy could have really helped both of these idiots. Especially Miles.

Unfortunately, most straight men just think therapy is a sign of weakness, and are too uncomfortable with emotional connection to other men (read: homophobia!) to really talk about emotions, the need for validitation and acceptance, etc. with their guy friends.

Wow. Way too long comment. Sorry. Miss you buddy. See you next week?

Oh - and don't worry. When I breed, it won't be with no damn loser!

Hey, it's got that guy from Wings. Can't be too bad right? ;-)

I've seen great women end up with total losers, so yeah, that scenario happens more than you'd think. It sucks. I would soooo rather be alone.

That last line of this post was so good, I might write it on an index card as an inspirational message for myself.

As a token straight female reader, I'll put in my two cents. I hate to say it, but the dating paradigm you described is indeed within the realm of probability. Like, to the point that I thought someone said my name when I read that. Then shivered.

But it's a good thought... how many sad pathetic loser filmmaking guys did it take to establish that their fantasy of falling in love with beautiful women construed "romance" as opposed to the converse situation... I guess that "sad pathetic girl falls in love with beautiful intelligent man" doesn't sell well?

I didn't find it unbelievable. I know all sorts of vivacious, cool ladies who've ended up with not-hot guys who are nice to them and have brains. I think Miles is actually quite a catch: He's an English teacher, romantic, smart, and creative. He's depressed because he thinks he's a failure. But he perks up because a nice lady told him he wasn't a failure. That he perks up is attractive.

Yeah, I liked the movie A LOT. But I think that has to do with me being a failed writer. Read A.O. Scott's article about the over-praise of the film and how it's probably because most critics identify with Miles.

Hmmm . . . haven't seen the movie, but I likely qualify as a straight female now due to my upcoming marriage to a biological male-from-birth.

I'm not sure in this context what, exactly, qualifies a man as a "giant loser," but sure, isn't it a neat male fantasy that amazing women could fall in love with guys even more pathetic than they are? I suspect that's a lot of it.

Of course, women can in real life wind up as trophies for powerful (but otherwise yukky) men, or as nuturers (mommies) for men who can't seem to take care of themselves, or in other troubling roles; hey, we're a versatile bunch.

But if it's any comfort, my intended is tall, cute, extremely smart, and very gay-friendly, and I think we'd both be proud to play a role in breeding the next generation of homos.

Riye: lol.. That's right!

"EVERY MAJOR MALE FILM CRITIC MUST BE GOING THROUGH HIS MIDLIFE CRISIS."

Classic. Isn't that how films are rated? Depending on how much you can relate to it? That or stupendous visual effects or a telephoning alien.

I'm with ya on that one! B-o-r-i-n-g!

Sorry to say it, but you sound a little bitter with that review of the movie.

And, you really do have to be wine geek to appreciate the connection between wine and the soul.

"Patriarchal phallocentric pap"??? How is that kind of description any more arcane than any words used in this movie to describe wine?

Cheers,
Tom...

http://fermentations.blogspot.com

I'm only bitter that I had to pay 10.25 to see that movie. As I said in my blog, I normally like the writer, director, and the actors. I'm also a huge fan of wine.

I have a connoisseur friend who has parties where they have four different price variances on a specific grape from a specific region, or he'll show different grapes from the same winery to help hone tastebuds. My understanding of how little I know about wine triggers desire to learn more.

Let's compare this movie to a wine. Its metaphors and analogies were as subtle and flavorful as a boxed wine. The pacing was slow, the split scenes had no purpose, and the plot was too unbelievable, if one wants to redeem this man with incredible taste in wine but no such taste in friends, integrity, and honesty. The only things I really appreciated were the tackiness of suburbia and the commercialization of the wineries. If you want subtlety, watch Election. That character didn't have to spell out the pathos and tragedy of Broderick with giant laser pointers as they did in Sideways.

If this had been listed as a 'good film, with some weak dialogue' then I would be fine. It wasn't. Watching the film was the same as discovering that a $100 bottle of wine tastes the same as a $10 bottle. I'm fine paying the $100 as long as it tastes like $100.

As for my vocabulary, I understand the wine vocabulary, thanks. I could have said "relating to a culture in which men are the most powerful members, showing a preference for traditional masculine qualities type of movie that is so lacking in depth and substance that it is considered worthless. I just figured I would save the time and use a better choice of words. I also just liked the alliteration.

G, I don't know you and happened to find your blog doing a search for "the movie sideways sucks". I am trying to understand why people like this movie so much when I could barely stand watching the first hour of it.

I COMPLETELY agree with you. In fact, I was so disappointed with this movie I didn't even stay for the last 40min. It was pathetic and totally overrated. I'm glad you feel the same, sometimes I wonder if its just me. : )

I hated this movie!!!!!!!!!!!!! These two guys are two of the most whiny, self-obsessed, selfish, self-pitying, petty, manipulative, egotistical pair of losers I have ever seen committed to film. Why this film has garnered so much attention is beyond me....whoever said that most major film critics must be going through a mid-life crisis as well, was bang-on. If this is the state of heterosexual malehood in today's society, we are SERIOUS trouble folks. I hope Million Dollar Baby wipes the floor with this movie, because Clint Eastwood's character is everything those two losers from Sideways aren't. I want my money back!!

I hated this film. Why why why must we constantly be subjected to these crappy male fantasies? And the female characters couldn't have been anymore one-dimensional: a madonna and a whore. Brilliant. I thought I was dating a pretty decent guy, but he LOVED the movie. There is no hope for the next generation.

Thank you G for summing up this dog. I saw the first 30-40 minutes on the plane - a time when I'll watch almost anything, and when I actually kind of liked "Freaky Friday" - and turned it off in favor of the in-flight magazine.

Watching "Sideways" was like the time I tried to read "Atlas Shrugged". One third of the way through the film I realized that a) I really disliked the characters b) I really disliked whatever motivated them and how they behaved and c) it was unlikely that things would improve.

Hell, I'm 49, straight, about to be separated and I hope to God that I never am that pathetic or crude. I think that you really did hit the nail on the head - EVERY MAJOR MALE FILM CRITIC MUST BE GOING THROUGH HIS MIDLIFE CRISIS.

Amen.