Pensieri di un lunatico minore

Sideways and Pars

Last night, I went with a few friends to see Sideways finally, after all the hype it had received. The audience was reasonably full for a movie that has been out as long as this one has. The good news is that the movie is funny, entertaining, and especially amusing if you know wine snobs. We were all entertained and enjoyed the movie, but left wondering why all the raving and critical acclaim.

Then it hit me. The reviewers see themselves in the character of Miles Raymond (played by Paul Giamatti), or at least I suspect. A slightly pompous middle-age exterior that masks a self-destructive interior, and a passion for a semi-obscure subject to which they dedicate a disproportionate number of words, and especially bizarre “edam cheese”-like phrases. (Yes, I know I succumb to this sometimes.) Otherwise, the movie was not “great,” simply very good. Too many issues are simply wiped away at the end and “resolved” without resolution. And more than anything, an important question is never answered… why would two people, the main characters, who were roommate in college, still be friends after so many years when they are so completely different.

Before the movie we went to Pars, a Persian restaurant in Fairfax. The food was quite yummy, and we were delighted to see that they had belly-dancing for the evening. The woman performing seemed to have a more rapport with the people in the restaurant than I normally would imagine, and in fact dragged a friend up on the “stage” to dance. Amusing, but entertaining for all. Alas, no photos!