''Sideways'' is a 2004 American

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

directed by

Alexander Payne Constantine Alexander Payne (born February 10, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is noted for his satire, satirical depictions of contemporary American society. Payne has received List of awards and nominations rec ...

and written by Jim Taylor and Payne. A

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

Rex Pickett Rex Pickett (born July 9, 1952) is an American novelist and filmmaker best known for his novel ''Sideways'', which was adapted into a 2004 movie of the same name directed by Alexander Payne. Career Education and early career Pickett was born ...

's 2004 novel, ''Sideways'' follows two men in their forties, Miles Raymond (

Paul Giamatti Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti ( ; born June6, 1967) is an American actor. His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award and three Golden Globes, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and a British Academy Film Award. After studying a ...

), a depressed teacher and unsuccessful writer, and Jack Cole (

Thomas Haden Church Thomas Haden Church (born Thomas Richard McMillen; June 17, 1960) is an American actor. After starring in the 1990s sitcom '' Wings'' and playing the lead for two seasons in ''Ned & Stacey'' (1995–1997)'','' Church became known for his film work ...

), a past-his-prime actor, who take a week-long road trip to

Santa Barbara County wine Santa Barbara County wine is an appellation that designates wine made from grapes grown mostly in Santa Barbara County, California, which is located approximately northwest of Los Angeles County. County names in the United States automatically ...

country to celebrate Jack's upcoming wedding.

Sandra Oh Sandra Miju Oh (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian and American actress. She is known for her starring roles as Rita Wu in ''Arliss (TV series), Arliss'' (1996–2002), Cristina Yang in ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005–14), and Eve Polastri in ''Kill ...

and

Virginia Madsen Virginia Madsen (born September 11, 1961) is an American actress. She is the recipient of two Critics' Choice Awards, an Independent Spirit Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Gl ...

also star as women they encounter during their trip. ''Sideways'' premiered at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

on September 13, 2004, and was released in the United States on October 22, 2004. It received widespread acclaim from critics and is regarded as one of the greatest films of the 2000s. At the

77th Academy Awards The 77th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on February 27, 2005, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. Durin ...

, the film was nominated for

Best Picture The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * As ...

, Best Supporting Actor (Haden Church), Best Supporting Actress (Madsen), and Best Adapted Screenplay, the last of which it won.

Plot

Miles Raymond picks up his friend Jack Cole at the home of Cole’s fiancée to begin a week together in advance of Cole’s wedding. Miles, a school teacher and unpublished author, starts the trip at his mother’s house, ostensibly to wish her a happy birthday, but Miles steals money before they leave. Miles wants to spend the week relaxing, playing golf, and enjoying good food and wine. However, Jack is interested in trying to cure Miles’ depression over his professional failures and divorce by finding him a sex partner. Jack is ambivalent over his pending marriage and the prospect of giving up his acting ambitions in favor of a job with his fiancée’s father. In the Santa Ynez valley, Miles, an

oenophile Oenophilia ( ; from Greek for 'love of wine', see '' oinos'' and ''-philia''), in the strictest sense, describes a disciplined devotion to wine, accompanying strict traditions of consumption and appreciation. In a general sense however, ''oenoph ...

, teaches Jack how to taste wine. The pair dine at The Hitching Post II. Jack infers that Maya, a waitress with whom Miles is casually acquainted, is interested in Miles. Jack tells Maya that Miles' manuscript has been accepted for publication, although it is only being considered. The next morning Jack announces his intention to find sex partners during the trip. That night, he arranges a double date for himself and Miles with a wine pourer named Stephanie, who is also acquainted with Maya. During the date, Miles gets drunk and telephones Victoria, his ex-wife, after learning from Jack that she has remarried and will be bringing her new husband to Jack's wedding. The couples go to Stephanie's house, where Stephanie and Jack adjourn to Stephanie's bedroom, leaving Miles and Maya alone. The two connect through their mutual interest in wine, and Miles kisses her awkwardly. As they part, Miles gives Maya a copy of his manuscript, which she had earlier expressed interest in reading. Jack claims to have fallen in love with Stephanie and tells Miles he wants to postpone the wedding and move to the Santa Ynez Valley to be closer to her. After spending time with Jack and Stephanie at wineries and a picnic, Miles and Maya return to Maya's apartment and have sex. The next day, Miles reveals to Maya that Jack is getting married. Disgusted with the men's dishonesty, Maya dumps Miles. Jack and Miles go to a winery that Miles finds subpar. After hearing from his literary agent that his manuscript has been rejected, an upset Miles pesters the pourer for a full glass of wine. When the server refuses, Miles drinks from the spit bucket, creating a scene. Jack intervenes and drives Miles back to the motel. Upon arrival, Stephanie, who heard from Maya about Jack's marital status, furiously beats Jack with her motorcycle helmet, breaking his nose, while berating him for his dishonesty. Miles takes Jack to the ER and leaves Maya an apologetic voice message, admitting that his book will not be published. That night, despite Miles' protests, Jack goes home with a waitress named Cammi. Jack returns to the motel naked after Cammi's husband had caught the two having sex. Jack begs Miles to help him retrieve his wallet, which contains custom wedding rings. Miles sneaks into the house, where he finds Cammi and her husband having sex. He grabs the wallet and runs, barely escaping Cammi's nude and furious husband. On the drive back to San Diego, Jack intentionally drives Miles's car into a tree to support his

alibi An alibi (, from the Latin, '' alibī'', meaning "somewhere else") is a statement by a person under suspicion in a crime that they were in a different place when the offence was committed. During a police investigation, all suspects are usually a ...

that he broke his nose in a car accident. The pair return to Christine's home, where Jack is warmly received by her family. Following the wedding ceremony, Miles runs into Victoria and meets her new husband, Ken. Victoria says she is pregnant. Miles absconds before the reception and drives back to his San Diego apartment. Alone, he drinks his prized wine, a 1961

Château Cheval Blanc Château Cheval Blanc (French for "White Horse Castle"), is a wine producer in Saint-Émilion in the Bordeaux wine region of France. Its wine received the highest rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) status in the Classification of Saint-Ém ...

, from a disposable styrofoam soda cup at a

fast-food Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. ''Fast food'' is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheated or precooked ...

restaurant. One day, Miles receives a voicemail from Maya, saying she loved his manuscript, encouraging him to keep writing, and inviting him to visit. Miles drives back to wine country and knocks on Maya's door.

Cast

as Miles Raymond *

as Jack Cole *

as Maya Randall *

as Stephanie *

Marylouise Burke use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates ...

as Mrs. Raymond, Miles' mother *

Jessica Hecht Jessica Hecht (born June 28, 1965) is an American actress known for her roles as Gretchen Schwartz on ''Breaking Bad'', Susan Bunch on ''Friends'', Carol Mannheim on '' The Boys'', and Karen on ''Special''. She is also known for her expansive ...

as Victoria Cortland * Lee Brooks as Ken Cortland * Missy Doty as Cammi *

MC Gainey Michael Connor Gainey (born January 18, 1948) is an American character actor best known for his appearances in '' Lost'', ''Con Air'', ''Sideways'', ''Tangled'', and ''Django Unchained''. Early life Gainey was born in Jackson, Mississippi. In th ...

as Cammi's husband *

Alysia Reiner Alysia Reiner is an American actress. She is best known for playing Natalie "Fig" Figueroa in the Netflix comedy drama series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019), for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for her role as part of the en ...

as Christine Erganian * Shake Tukhmanyan as Mrs. Erganian * Shaun Duke as Mike Erganian *

Stephanie Faracy Stephanie Faracy is an American actress. She is known for playing supporting roles in films including '' Heaven Can Wait'' (1978), ''Scavenger Hunt'' (1979), ''Blind Date'' (1987), '' The Great Outdoors'' (1988), '' Hocus Pocus'' (1993), ''Sidewa ...

as Ginny, Stephanie's mother * Natalie Carter as Siena, Stephanie's daughter * Patrick Gallagher as Gary the Bartender * Joe Marinelli as Frass Canyon Pourer

Impact on wine industry

Wineries and locations in the

Santa Ynez Valley The Santa Ynez Valley ( Spanish: ''Valle de Santa Ynez'') is located in Santa Barbara County, California, between the Santa Ynez Mountains to the south and the San Rafael Mountains to the north. The Santa Ynez River flows through the valley f ...

are prominently featured in the film, drawing attention and increased tourism to the

Sta. Rita Hills AVA Sta. Rita Hills is an American Viticultural Area located in Santa Barbara County, California within the vast Santa Ynez Valley. The approximately area was established on May 31, 2001 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Dep ...

wine region in

Santa Barbara County Santa Barbara County, officially the County of Santa Barbara (), is a county located in Southern California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 448,229. The county seat is Santa Barbara, and the largest city is Santa M ...

and California's Central Coast. During the film, Miles speaks fondly of the red wine

varietal A varietal wine is a wine made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label.The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2000.winepros.com.au. ...

Pinot noir Pinot noir (), also known as Pinot nero, is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name also refers to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words fo ...

while denigrating

Merlot Merlot ( ) is a dark-blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...

. After the film's U.S. release in October 2004, Merlot sales dropped 2% while Pinot noir sales increased 16% in the

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. As American settlement i ...

. A similar trend occurred in British wine outlets. A 2009 study by

Sonoma State University Sonoma State University (SSU, Sonoma State, or Sonoma) is a public university in Sonoma County, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. Sonoma State offers 92 bachelor's degree programs, 19 master's de ...

found that ''Sideways'' slowed the growth in Merlot sales volume and caused its price to fall, but the film's main effect on the U.S. wine industry was a rise in the sales volume and price of Pinot noir and in overall wine consumption. A 2022 study in the '' Journal of Wine Economics'' found that ''Sideways'' caused a reduction in demand for Merlot and an increase in demand for Pinot noir in the United States, which led California winemakers to grow Pinot noir grapes in unsuitable land and blend those grapes with the grapes grown in high-quality areas just to meet demand, which may have led to worse Pinot noir wines. Sideways Fest is an annual 3-day event hosted by the Sta. Rita Hills Wine Alliance celebrating the movie's release featuring the local viticulture and scenery.

''Sideways'' Pinot noir

In 2013,

, author of the ''Sideways'' novel, released his own Pinot noir named Le Plus Ultra. In 2020, he released a Pinot noir named Sideways.

Soundtrack

The original

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( ...

features 15

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

s composed and produced by

Rolfe Kent Rolfe R. Kent (born 18 April 1963) is an English film score composer. Biography Kent was born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. He attended St Albans School, worked at Balrossie School in Renfrewshire, Scotland, then graduated in psycholo ...

and was orchestrated and arranged for the band by

Tony Blondal Tony Blondal is a film and television orchestrator and conductor, and record arranger. He started out his musical career playing live (guitar) and doing studio recording sessions (guitar, mandolin, banjo, balalaika, charango and various instrumen ...

. The album was nominated for the

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

for "Best Original Score", and the music proved so popular there was demand for a national tour. Eventually, a few cities were chosen to perform in as the composer was too busy to commit to more. The romantic leitmotif shared by Miles and Maya is excerpted from ''

Symbiosis Symbiosis (Ancient Greek : living with, companionship < : together; and ''bíōsis'': living) is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction, between two organisms of different species. The two organisms, termed symbionts, can fo ...

'' by

Claus Ogerman Claus Ogerman (born Klaus Ogermann; 29 April 1930 – 8 March 2016) was a German arranger, conductor, and composer best known for his work with Billie Holiday, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Frank Sinatra, Bill Evans, Michael Brecker, and Diana Krall. ...

and

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, block chords, innovative chord voicings, a ...

Track listing

Reception

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, ''Sideways'' has an approval rating of 97% based on 233 reviews, and an average rating of 8.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Charming, thoughtful, and often funny, ''Sideways'' is a decidedly mature road trip comedy full of excellent performances." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the film has a

weighted average The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...

score of 94 out of 100 based on 42 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...

gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. ''Time Out'' described the film as "intelligent, funny and moving", and

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

of the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

'' gave it four stars out of four, writing that "what happens during the seven days adds up to the best human comedy of the year – comedy, because it is funny, and human, because it is surprisingly moving". With the exception of Giamatti, who had already starred in the critically acclaimed film ''

American Splendor ''American Splendor'' is a series of autobiographical comic books written by Harvey Pekar and drawn by a variety of artists. The first issue was published in 1976 and the last one in September 2008, with publication occurring at irregular interv ...

'' (2003), the film was a career breakthrough for the stars. Church and Madsen were each nominated for the

Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1995 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

, and

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

for their performances, winning the

Broadcast Film Critics Association Award The Critics' Choice Awards (formerly known as the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award) is an awards show presented annually by the American Critics Choice Association (CCA) to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. Written ballots are ...

and

Independent Spirit Award The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...

for their respective categories. Giamatti was described as "The World's Best

Character Actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

" by ''Time'' magazine. In 2005, Sandra Oh went on to star in the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

medical drama A medical drama is a Television film, television movie or film in which events center upon a hospital, clinic, doctor's office, a paramedic, or any other medical topic or environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic progra ...

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...

'', for which she won two Screen Actors Guild Awards and one Golden Globe Award. ''Sideways'' was ranked 494th on ''

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

''s 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time. ''

Total Film ''Total Film'' was a British film magazine published 13 times a year (published monthly with a summer issue added, between the July and August issues, every year since issue 91, 2004) by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and of ...

'' put ''Sideways'' on its list of 100 Greatest Movies of All Time. In 2013, the

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the name of two American labor unions representing writers in film, television, radio, and online media: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) is headquartered in New York City and is affiliated wit ...

also ranked its script as the 90th greatest ever written. The February 2020 issue of ''

New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Clay Felker and Milton Glaser in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'' a ...

'' lists ''Sideways'' as among "The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars." In 2025, it was one of the films voted for the "Readers' Choice" edition of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century," finishing at number 173.

Stage and musical adaptations

In 2019, it was announced that ''Sideways'' was scheduled to be adapted for a stage musical.

Kathleen Marshall Kathleen Marshall (born September 28, 1962) is an American director, choreographer, and creative consultant. Early life, career Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Marshall graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 198 ...

is expected to be the director and choreographer for the musical, which was aiming for a spring or summer 2020 tryout in a regional venue prior to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

. The musical will have a book by

and the score by Anthony Leigh Adams. A play adapted by author Rex Pickett from the ''Sideways'' novel was produced at multiple theaters in the United States and the United Kingdom, including at the

La Jolla Playhouse La Jolla Playhouse is a nonprofit professional theater on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. History La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under the ...

. In addition to the musical, it was reported that Pickett had written screenplays based on his two ''Sideways'' sequels already in print, ''Vertical'' and ''Sideways 3 Chile''.

Accolades

As of 2022, Payne and Taylor are the only two screenwriters to ever sweep the rarest achievements known as " The Big Four" critics awards (

LAFCA The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) is an American film critic organization founded in 1975. Background Its membership comprises film critics from Los Angeles–based print and electronic media. In December of each year, the organi ...

, NBR, NYFCC, NSFC), in addition to winning the

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

Globe A globe is a spherical Earth, spherical Model#Physical model, model of Earth, of some other astronomical object, celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but, unlike maps, they do not distort the surface ...

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

, WGA, and Critic's Choice Awards for the film.

Remake

Fox International Productions and

Fuji Television JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...

released a Japanese-language remake of the film in October 2009, also titled . The film is directed by Cellin Gluck and stars

Katsuhisa Namase is a Japanese actor, known primary for his roles in television dramas. His roles are often positions of authority, such as managers, principals, or police officers, but many of these characters also share a certain kookiness and incompetence. S ...

Fumiyo Kohinata is a Japanese actor. Filmography Film * '' Begging for Love'' (1998) * '' Give It All'' (1998) * '' Ring 2'' (1999) - Dr. Kawajiri * '' Audition'' (1999) - Television producer * '' Minna no Ie'' (2001) * '' Turn'' (2001) * '' Dark Water'' (200 ...

Kyōka Suzuki is a Japanese actress. Life and career Suzuki appeared in Shinji Aoyama's '' Mike Yokohama: A Forest with No Name'' and Yōichi Sai's ''Blood and Bones''. She won the Best Actress award at the 1998 Yokohama Film Festival for her role in '' Wel ...

, and

Rinko Kikuchi is a Japanese actress, and was the first Japanese actress to be nominated for an Academy Award in 50 years, for her work in '' Babel'' (2006). Kikuchi's other notable films include '' Norwegian Wood'' (2010), which screened in competition ...

, and has a soundtrack composed and performed by Hawaiian-born ukulele virtuoso

Jake Shimabukuro Jake Shimabukuro (born November 3, 1976) is a ukulele player and composer from Hawaii known for his fast and complex finger work. His music combines elements of jazz, blues, funk, rock, bluegrass, classical, folk, and flamenco. Shimabukuro has wri ...

. The remake shifts the setting of the film to

Napa Valley Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Napa County, California. The area was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on February 27, 1981, after a 1978 petition submitted by the Napa Valley Vin ...

. Although listed as an executive producer, Payne was not involved with the remake, although he gave it his blessing. Giamatti declined an invitation to make an unspecified

cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...

in the film.

Possible sequel

Pickett has written three sequel books to ''Sideways'', the second of which being '' Vertical'' (2010) which follows Miles and Jack on a road trip to Oregon with Miles' mother.

Fox Searchlight Searchlight Pictures, Inc., formerly known as Fox Searchlight Pictures, is an American arthouse film production and distribution company, which since 2019 is owned by Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Disney Entertainment segment of the ...

retain the film rights to the characters, but Payne has expressed disinterest in directing a sequel to ''Sideways'', and no further adaptations have been made.

References

External links

*
The Danish Soul of That Town in ''Sideways''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sideways 2004 films 2004 black comedy films 2004 independent films 2004 romantic comedy-drama films 2000s American films 2000s buddy comedy-drama films 2000s English-language films 2000s road comedy-drama films American black comedy films American buddy comedy-drama films American independent films American road comedy-drama films American romantic comedy-drama films BAFTA winners (films) Best Musical or Comedy Picture Golden Globe winners English-language black comedy films English-language buddy comedy-drama films English-language independent films English-language road comedy-drama films English-language romantic comedy-drama films Films about actors Films about alcoholism Films about friendship Films about infidelity Films about vacationing Films about wine Films about writers Films based on American novels Films directed by Alexander Payne Films scored by Rolfe Kent Films set in California Films set in San Diego Films shot in California Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay BAFTA Award Films with screenplays by Alexander Payne Films with screenplays by Jim Taylor (writer) Fox Searchlight Pictures films Independent Spirit Award for Best Film winners Midlife crisis films Santa Ynez Valley Satellite Award–winning films