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in_the_blueWe went to see this movie last night.
So all in all, I think this was a very sweet little slice-of-life film. The story isn't much, really, that hasn't been told before, but the handling was very gentle and loving. It concerns two men: Miles (Paul Giamatti), a divorced middle-school English teacher and not-quite-published novelist and his friend Jack (Thomas Hayden Church), a semi washed-up actor, who go off to Santa Barbara wine country the week before Jack's wedding. Miles's agenda is simple: wine tasting and golf; wine in general (and pinot noir in particular) is his one true great love. Jack's agenda is a bit more complex: he intends to sow his wild oats before his wedding and get Miles laid as well.
The story unfolds when they run into a very self-assured wine pourer named Stephanie (Sandra Oh) who's friends with Maya, an intriguing waitress (Virginia Madsen) Miles knows slightly from his previous trips to the area. The interplay between depressed-and-unwilling Miles and ultra-hormonal and charming Jack is intriguing and the acting is incredibly lovely. I found myself believing all the characters and the play of emotion running across their faces.
I won't retell the whole story here because if you've already seen it you don't need me to, and if you haven't, it will ruin the movie for you. Let me just say that the simplicity of the storytelling, with wine as metaphor for everything else in life, is gently compelling. As we watch the characters make their moves and their mistakes, I'm reminded that nothing in life is easy, and most things just aren't what they seem.
I recommend the movie if you like films that don't beat you about the head and face to make their point. The acting really is stellar in small slices -- it's all ensemble, after all -- and the scenery is lush with ripe grapes. It was fun and I'm glad I saw it, if only for the writing in-jokes alone. The movie wears an appropriate "R" rating for nudity and sexual content, so leave the wee ones at home.
So all in all, I think this was a very sweet little slice-of-life film. The story isn't much, really, that hasn't been told before, but the handling was very gentle and loving. It concerns two men: Miles (Paul Giamatti), a divorced middle-school English teacher and not-quite-published novelist and his friend Jack (Thomas Hayden Church), a semi washed-up actor, who go off to Santa Barbara wine country the week before Jack's wedding. Miles's agenda is simple: wine tasting and golf; wine in general (and pinot noir in particular) is his one true great love. Jack's agenda is a bit more complex: he intends to sow his wild oats before his wedding and get Miles laid as well.
The story unfolds when they run into a very self-assured wine pourer named Stephanie (Sandra Oh) who's friends with Maya, an intriguing waitress (Virginia Madsen) Miles knows slightly from his previous trips to the area. The interplay between depressed-and-unwilling Miles and ultra-hormonal and charming Jack is intriguing and the acting is incredibly lovely. I found myself believing all the characters and the play of emotion running across their faces.
I won't retell the whole story here because if you've already seen it you don't need me to, and if you haven't, it will ruin the movie for you. Let me just say that the simplicity of the storytelling, with wine as metaphor for everything else in life, is gently compelling. As we watch the characters make their moves and their mistakes, I'm reminded that nothing in life is easy, and most things just aren't what they seem.
I recommend the movie if you like films that don't beat you about the head and face to make their point. The acting really is stellar in small slices -- it's all ensemble, after all -- and the scenery is lush with ripe grapes. It was fun and I'm glad I saw it, if only for the writing in-jokes alone. The movie wears an appropriate "R" rating for nudity and sexual content, so leave the wee ones at home.
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no subject
Date: 2005-03-28 09:41 pm (UTC)