Sideways? Best Picture?

Currently Reading: Kafka on the Shore By Haruki Murakami

Just finished watching Sideways. My brother in law is a regional distributor for a major video chain and he gets the screeners all the time, months before the movies are released on video. So I'm sitting here wondering a few things about this movie.

First off, I'm wondering why in the hell this thing is nominated for best picture, director, adapted screenplay. As stories go, the characters were mostly annoying, prenentious and self-centered. As plots go, there's almost ZERO growth with the characters. And was this supposed to be a comedy? If so it wasn't very funny. If it's a drama, it wasn't very dramatic. In fact, I found the whole thing pretty damn predictable.

I will grant that the supporting women were great, and Thomas Hayden Church was also good, though a bit 2 dimentional. Well maybe two and a half. He had a LITTLE depth but not much.

Maybe it's some California thing. Maybe if I lived in California I'd be able to connect with these people on some level. I certainly can't identify with them, they all seem so damn shallow and weak.

There certainly was a lot of talk about wine, but you know, on the whole, that really made the picture seem even more self-important. Like I'm supposed to be completely enthralled with this film because of all the wine terminology. All that did for me was put up yet another wall between me and the characters. They live in a totally different world and sadly, it's not even a very interesting one.

Perhaps if I'd had a few glasses of wine along the way I'd better appreciate it. No, actually if I'd had a few glasses of wine along the way I probably would have fallen asleep after the first hour.

All I can say is that it's going to be one snoozer of an Oscar ceremony this year.