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January 2, 2005

"The Schlemiel Sublime"

In a recent entry, Amardeep (note: I stole my title from him) describes his conflicted response to two of the more critically acclaimed films of the Oscar season, Sideways and Closer and speculates about where his "faint sense of disdain for these films is coming from." I'm somewhat inclined to share his impatience with "the American art house obsession with chronicling squandered intelligence," but the critical acclaim for these films, especially Sideways, has led me to question my initial ambivalent reaction to the film. I know that I identified with the Paul Giamatti character, Miles, but I'm not sure I'd recognized the full extent of that identification until I read A.O. Scott's New York Times article calling Sideways "the most overrated film of the year."

In Scott's reading, Sideways appeals because Miles himself is a critic, constantly making judgements about the wines he consumes, with the film celebrating Miles's ability to appreciate good wine. Scott adds that the film "both satirizes and affirms a cherished male fantasy: that however antisocial, self-absorbed and downright unattractive a man may be, he can always be rescued by the love of a good woman." In my original reading of the film, I was also critical of this fantasy element and disappointed that both female chracters essentially disappear in the third act. I'm not quite sure where this observation takes me. Sideways is certainly a solid film, but the praise for the film seems a little out of proportion to me. And like Amardeep, I prefer Before Sunset.

Then again, for a much wittier take on A. O. Scott's article, just go read the cinetrix.

Posted by chuck at January 2, 2005 7:18 PM

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