“Sideways”–a typical “alcoholic” movie
Sideways – fluff with damaged goods
Movie Review: With five Academy Award nominations, L.A. Times reviewer Kenneth Turan writes that Director Alexander Payne’s Sideways “turns seven days with scoundrels Miles and Jack (Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church) into a completely satisfying movie that quietly, gently blows you away.” Turan says “the film brings emotional reality to a consistently amusing character comedy, making it something to be cherished.” How true for those who enjoy seeing a couple of would-be drunks on a last binge before one is due to be married – and if you don’t mind the nagging suspicion that the bingeing and prowling doesn’t end at the altar.
Miles Raymond is a middle-school English teacher suffering from at least a two-year depression, gobbling up Xanax after a divorce caused, as near as we can tell, by his infidelity and depressive tendencies, exacerbated while drinking. After suffering a hangover, he arrives late to meet his actor friend Jack in Los Angeles for Jack’s bachelor week with just the two of them. Driving to Oxnard to visit Miles’ mother, they drink from an open bottle of white Pinot Noir. After Jack steals money from Mom’s secret stash, they head up to Santa Barbara wine country and savor innumerable fine wines reminiscent of a “Wine Spectator” tour in a wine lover’s dream. Miles knows fine wine, while all Jack wants to do is drink (anything will do) and prowl.
They hook up with Stephanie (played by Sandra Oh), a wine pourer at one of the wineries, and Maya (Virginia Madsen), a favorite waitress of Miles. Before a double date, Jack says to Miles, “Don’t drink too much. I don’t want you passing out or going to the dark side,” which is marked by Miles’ self-destructive negativity. After at least five bottles of wine among the four by the end of dinner, the only one who acts and looks drunk is Miles. (One bottle of wine over two hours increases the Blood Alcohol Level to over .10 per cent in a 180-pound person and to .15 per cent in a 120-pounder. Most non-alcoholics appear inebriated at the lower BAL, while failing to appear so at the upper one is an almost certain sign of high tolerance found only in alcoholics.) Morose throughout, when drinking he becomes far more so and excuses himself to call his ex-wife, who recognizes the ritual and says, “don’t call me when you’re drunk.”
While Jack begins an ill-fated affair with an unsuspecting Stephanie, Miles gets blitzed. After a day or two of cavorting, Miles, who does not like lying, finally tells Maya that Jack is getting married, but probably “believes” all the lies he’s told Stephanie about his love for her. Maya, who is sickened by the deception in her past marriage, tells Stephanie, who does what she can to destroy Jack’s rugged good looks. Even with a broken nose, Jack is still on the prowl and seduces a rather plain-looking waitress (“two tons of fun”) who, it turns out, is married. After being chased out of the house by her husband, leaving his wallet holding the specially-designed wedding rings behind, Jack cries to Miles, “You gotta help me, Miles. If I lose [my fiance], I’m nothing.” And Miles (we might think, “yet again”) bails out Jack and manages to snag the wallet, barely avoiding getting killed by the crazed husband.
In a movie without endearing characters, Maya is a standout. While some might think her inexplicable attraction to Miles is another example of “opposites attract,” she probably just feels sorry for him. Miles, sullen to the end, is the polar opposite of Jack, ever the optimist. Jack manipulates, lies, commits numerous DUI offenses, uses foul language, engages in serial sexual conquests, dreams up grandiose schemes (“lets move to Los Olivos and buy a vineyard”) and experiences wide emotional swings (he’s suddenly in love with Stephanie – and probably believes it). However, he’s never nasty and his easy-going mood never really changes except when crying the blues about having “f-d” up when he ran off without his wallet. Considering how superficially charming the character is, one might wonder about Rex Picket, on whose novel the story is based. Alcoholic author Dashiell Hammet, after all, portrayed Nick Charles in The Thin Man as a charming, competent, never nasty and always sweet sleuth. Alcoholics are far more likely to portray their fellow alcoholics as caring, calm and someone whose transgressions are easily forgiven.
Miles’ character, seemingly the more obvious drunk to the uninitiated, is woefully inconsistent. While most early-stage alcoholics feel (and act) like God, Miles appears to feel anything but. The more he drinks the more negative and morose he becomes. He accuses Jack of being an “infant,” adding, “this is all a big party for you, but not for me.” When readying himself to bail Jack out of his infidelities, he does so because of his need to be liked rather than a need to inflate his ego. His glum attitude isn’t punctuated by even one manic state. While he steals from his mother, he is far from being the manipulative con artist that Jack is. While Jack seems to experience no remorse for his numerous transgressions, we get the idea that Miles might actually feel bad for violating the rights of others.
While the movie has its comedic moments, the inconsistencies for those of us with an understanding of alcoholism make it unsatisfying and something to be cherished only in a fantasy lacking any emotional reality.
This is yet another in a long line of “alcoholic” movies that are fatally flawed in their portrayal of a tragic disease, where tragedy is temporarily sidestepped. I would spend time this weekend instead with two movies on DVD, The Pianist and The Red Violin. Look for the 15-minute segment in The Pianist in which the hero is betrayed and you will see the results of early-stage alcoholism in its full glory. And see if you can figure out who, in a long line of owners, makes the violin so famous.