SIDEWAYS DVD Widescreen Edition

A divorced school teacher, and failed author, joins up with his buddy who is about to get married and head to wine country for a week of male bonding and wine tasting. What starts out as a whimsical trip to mark the coming milestone in his friend's life quickly dissolves into philosophical discussions and poignant debate. By the end of the week, neither man is convinced that they are on the right track. With Sideways, Paul Giamatti has become an unlikely but engaging romantic lead. Struggling novelist and wine connoisseur Miles (Giamatti) takes his best friend Jack (Thomas Haden Church, Wings) on a wine-tasting tour of California vineyards for a kind of extended bachelor party. Almost immediately, Jack's insatiable need to sow some wild oats before his marriage leads them in into double-dates with a rambunctious wine pourer (Sandra Oh) and a recently divorce waitress (Virginia Madsen)--and Miles discovers a little hope that he hasn't let himself feel in a long time. Sideways is a modest but finely tuned film; with gentle compassion, it explores the failures, struggles, and lowered expectations of mid-life. Giamatti makes regret and self-loathing sympathetic, almost sweet. Language: English Runtime: 2 hours and 6 minutes