Cady's Take:

The week before his marriage to a wealthy young woman, Jack ( Thomas Haden Church), and Miles (Paul Giamatti), his buddy from college, decide to hit the Southern California wine region. Jack wants to have one last fling (or two) ; Miles wants to drink.

After the Middle aged duo meet two locals, waitress Maya (Virginia Madsen) and winery employee Stephanie (Sandra Oh), Jack is ready to put all the sipping aside for some much needed partying. The problem is Miles has been in a depressed funk for the past two years since his marriage ended. He is a man who knows his grapes, but women are another matter entirely.

It would be impossible not to enjoy this passionate, character-driven movie. Though it must be said that even with the incredible amount of laugh out loud humorous scenes, there is an ineffable sadness throughout the movie. Ultimately, Sideways is a human comedy equipped with the drama surrounding two adult friends sharing their midlife crises.

Filled with intelligent, subtle humor and the honesty of situations involving real-life flawed people, I heartily recommended Alexander Payne's "Sideways".

Simply put, I love road-trip flicks. Throw in a smorgasbord of friendship, love, sex, and wine and you have found yourself a superb way to spend 2 hours this weekend!

"Sideways" is everything a movie should be: funny, smart, charming, and articulate. It has characters we care about, situations we can relate to, and most importantly - "Sideways" has a lot of wine.

Paul Giamatti turns in another amazing performance, one for which the lack of an Academy Award nomination still puzzles me. He plays oenophile Miles, a lonely divorcee who is so buried in his love for wine that he forgets to live his life. He and best friend Jack (Thomas Hayden Church) take a boys' weekend before Jack's wedding where they meet up with Maya (Virginia Madsen), Miles' long-time secret crush and her friend Stephanie (Sandra Oh, "Grey's Anatomy") and the four of them embark on a week of partying, secrets, and ultimately, truths.

No one plays the disheartened Everyman like Giamatti, and yet he is not merely playing the same character over and over again. Miles has problems, but Giamatti reveals the sources of his problems with a hilarious and touching performance. Thomas Hayden Church ( Lowell from TV's "Wings") is brilliant as Miles' fun-loving, ethically-challenged best friend.

"Sideways" is the only choice for this weekend. If you saw it in the theater, see it again. The DVD has priceless extra footage and commentary.