Sideways - 5

This dark comedy had its moments, but overall not as deep as I expected (That may have been my fault for expecting to much, or maybe the critics rave reviews). It is a story about a loser. Nothing is going well for the main character, Miles. You spend the whole movie hoping that something will go right, it ends with only a slight glimpse that it might. Miles and Jack are total opposites and that makes the story funny. Jack is really horrible and is so self interested that you don't feel bad when he gets his nose broken in a fight with his "girlfriend." There are some meaningful conversations that the two guys have on the trip but the depth is lost on Jack, whose thick skull doesn't retain much (maybe he should lay off the wine). In the end Miles is changed while Jack is still oblivious to the lessons that should have been learned through his choices. Which may point to the idea that pain really is harsh teacher, but the lessons stick. It is not your typical Hollywood movie which is probably why most critics liked it.