Veering Sideways

Last night I watched Sideways, my birthday present courtesy of Mr Gr. He talks a bit about the film here too.

The film is a fun romp through the vineyards of California by a pair of blokes, the intent being a sort of two-bloke stag week. The impression I got most of all was that this is like the grown-up and over-thirty sequel to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, complete with the kind of relationship-burnt neuroses that you might expect.

It is very funny in places to the point of being painful. It veers from slapstick to situation to the most excruciating comedy-of-embarrassment. In particular, one scene involving sneaking into a house, I had to watch at double-speed to stop my toes from curling. That’s a compliment to the power of its embarrassment.

Considering the level of drink-driving in the film, I suppose I’m a little surprised it got a 15 certificate. It also seemed to clang when any number of people let obviously drunk others get into their cars. There’s none of the explicit sex or violence you’d expect from an 18, though, so it probably does make sense.