Sideways

"In search of wine. In search of women. In search of themselves."

2004 2h 7m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 1,981

ComedyDramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two middle-aged men embark on a spiritual journey through Californian wine country. One is an unpublished novelist suffering from depression, and the other is only days away from walking down the aisle.

“In search of wine. In search of women. In search of themselves.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Paul Giamatti
Miles
Thomas Haden Church
Jack
Virginia Madsen
Maya
Sandra Oh
Stephanie
Marylouise Burke
Miles's Mother
Jessica Hecht
Victoria
Missy Doty
Cammi
M.C. Gainey
Cammi's Husband

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alexander Payne
Writers: Jim Taylor, Alexander Payne
Languages: Armenian, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 6.8× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 22 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Armenian, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alexander Payne, shot by Phedon Papamichael. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Rolfe Kent. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kevin Tent shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "In search of wine. In search of women. In search of themselves.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alexander Payne directs. Phedon Papamichael behind the camera. Rolfe Kent scores. Kevin Tent cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Armenian, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 6.8× over at the box office.
2Released 22 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Armenian, English.
4Directed by Alexander Payne, shot by Phedon Papamichael. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Rolfe Kent. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Kevin Tent shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "In search of wine. In search of women. In search of themselves.".
9IMDB entry: tt0375063 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 18 themes, including "california", "based on novel or book", "golf", "wine".

The technical file

Cinematography: Phedon Papamichael
Original score: Rolfe Kent
Editing: Kevin Tent
Production design: Jane Ann Stewart
Costume design: Wendy Chuck
Makeup / hair: Bridget Cook
VFX supervisor: John P. Mesa
Stunt coordinator: Tom Elliott
Runtime: 127 min · 2h 7m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $16,000,000
Box office: $109,502,303
Return: 684% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Sideways (2004)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Alexander Payne

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Narate2024-12-11
★ 9/10
"If anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am NOT drinking any fucking Merlot" As I get older, I have realized that this movie is written really well. Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church have a hilarious chemistry and I can't help but agree with Miles a few times. I wish I loved wine like Miles does, but I do love hearing him describe each one with a passion.

Production companies