Screenplays

Sideways

Written by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor (based on the novel Sideways by Rex Pickett)

Directed by Alexander Payne

Starring Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, and Sandra Oh

Sideways is our indie example. True, this movie found a much larger audience than is typical for such films, but it stays very true to the indie spirit, a low-budget, low-concept movie that follows complex (not to mention outrageously flawed) characters through the nooks and crannies of their existence. If you turned off the sound and put subtitles at the bottom of the screen, you would have no trouble believing this was a French film. Due to a great track record, the director could have cast major stars but he chose to go with lesser-knowns. Sideways is a true comedy/drama, always balancing itself between absurdity and heartbreak, much like your life and mine.  

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