At the risk of irritating all the wine snobs in the audience, I did not find this movie to be worthy of a "best picture nomination". Yes it was a nicely acted little movie, with some mildly amusing scenes and some good character development. But it was NOT a really great movie, too slow moving with too many dead spots. Worth seeing, yes, but not worth the nomination. JMHO
Miles was made into such a sad sack that I had a hard time seeing what someone who was as on the ball as Virginia Madsen was in that movie would find interesting in him. I know they had things in common, but if he wasn't the subject of the movie (and, therefore, likely to secure the audience's sympathy) and would have been a side character, would you have thought he would have won her intereest?
Other than that, I enjoyed it a lot, and I would encourage people to see it.
-- Modified on 2/1/2005 5:07:43 PM
the Madsen character at first but I think her flaw is that she tries to save lost souls such as Miles. It may not have been made clear in the movie but that's what I inferred.
The reason she was attracted to him was that they were both divorced and looking for love... when someone gets divorced, lots of the shallow requirements for a mate like looks or money disappear because that's usually what prompted the first marriage. Once burned, twice shy.
whenever I've gone to some wineries to taste wine, I always get a chuckle out of the guys(it's always guys) that taste the wine like they're the worlds greatest oneophile. Miles throws out the terms in the movie. Malolactic, earthy, and such. While they do mean something, usually nobody knows what they're talking about. When you see somebody doing this, watch the people behind the counter roll their eyes and grimace. They hold them right up there with the "I only drink for free cause it's part of the tour" people.
I agree with SD but had one other problem that makes me think it was not all that great a movie: the ending sucked. It was too happy; too impossible. Only Hollywood with its inane need to make everyone leave the theater smiling about the perfection of love in the world would have written that lame ending.
Now I'm gonna go drink some wine.
This is not about an improbable ending of two people in love. It's about a guy finally breaking away from the memory of his ex-wife. The whole movie was about two guys who had difficulty moving onto to the next phase in their lives. The women were merely props to two men who were moving sideways and knew they had to eventually take the next step foward. I thus thought it was an excellent film that was well acted.
WARNING: SPOILERS CONTAINED IN THIS POST. Don't read this post if you haven't seen the film and don't want anything given away.
Mya is a fantasy version of a needy guy's ideal woman. In the relationship which is about to begin when the movie ends, it will be all about him. What about her hopes and dreams? When he finds out she is getting a Master's in horticulture, he asks if she will work in a winery. She says "maybe", and that's it! He doesn't pursue this obvious opportunity to learn more about what she wants from life. She, on the other hand, reads his book.
I thought the movie hit the nail on the head in a subtle way, with Miles' ex-wife. She was a holier-than-thou type, who undoubtably enjoyed making him feel small, and in a sense he wanted that because he thought he deserved it - an unhealthy relationship which he was lucky to get out of, although he apparently did not realize it at the movie's beginning.
I dunno, maybe Miles could possibly grow and be able to have a relationship with Mya, but to me, he had a long way to go.
I'd be interested in hearing women's perspectives on this movie.
His character is the perfect combination of the guy we wish we were and the guy we'd actually be if we really were the guy we thought we wished we were. Plus he's funnier than hell.
Tastes Good to me......Gulp
.....I won't spoil it, but involves the main characters only indirectly....one on his hands and knees....I'm still chuckling days later! The rest of it celebrates losers, IMHO. I liked Giamatti in that other loser movie, American Splendor.
thought Million Dollar Baby was great, and if that wins, I won't be too disappointed. Why Hotel Rwanda wasn't nominated for best film I'll never figure out, because I really thought it deserved to be in that group. But what I really can't fathom is all the fuss about The Aviator, which was a good, but far from great, movie. I think the other nominees, plus Hotel Rwanda, were far more enjoyable and interesting. But hey, it's the Oscars! Anything can happen.
It is a spectacular film. At risk of spoiling anything, I won't say anything more except SEE IT TODAY. It's amazing.
...a bald hero? No. Did it have legions of scantily-clad ladies out to beguile a bald hero? No.
That in my book makes it a "Wait for the DVD" movie.
Character development is over-rated.
-- Modified on 2/2/2005 9:18:54 AM
HELLO........Everyone is assuming that Mya was SOOO into Miles at first and there is nothing telling us that but her friend who wants to be spanked. She kept saying "Mya really likes you", well I really like my UPS guy but that doesn't mean anything.Except, probably 'spanking girl' still wanted to get it on with Miles' friend and was trying to throw Miles a bone. It just so happens that at SOME point during the time Miles and Mya were together she sees something in him we don't....OK they don't spell it out for you in the movie......MOVE ON...Otherwise Mya would not have turned to Miles and planted one on him and dragged him into the house. That was not a pity/goodbye kiss. The movie leaves you with the hope that something will come of the two....IT leaves you with hope (and some laughs). I really enjoyed it. Maybe he should have worn a black cape on his ending visit to her, huh Lex??
is a chance to meet her own need to be "needed". She is attracted to this needy guy because she wants to be needed. The problem with this kind of thing is that eventually, she will come to resent him for the very same neediness that attracted her to him in the first place.
So, I take it you don't believe in happily ever after.......
I do. And I choose to believe they would get together and stay together.
I'm here and you're there -- how could I believe in happily ever after?
I thought the point was not what she sees in him but what he sees in himself. Whether or not they get together is irrelevant. The ending was about him finally breaking away from the memory of his ex-wife and moving on with his life. Both he and his friend couldn't move ahead to the next phase of their lives. This whole trip to the wine country was a cleansing, and the women were just props. If not her, he will find someone but he won't sit frozen in time thinking about the ex. He finally left the past in the past and not let it haunt his future. Perhaps that's where the title comes from...constantly moving sideways but never ahead.
I agree that he did move on, did finally get past his unhealthy relationship with his ex-wife, and that of course was a good thing.
Not sure though if he was really interested in growing as a person - he seemed more interested in finding a woman who could understand how fragile and needy he was, and respond to that in the way he wanted, even if it was ultimately at her own expense.
Oy, you and this whole needy thing. How about we agree on Salivates perspective and leave it at that? No more "needy" man.
We're all needy to some degree. Think the main character could use some therapy before starting a relationship. Can agree with other posters. What's in it for her?
I agree that we are all needy to some degree. The thing that the Miles character needs to work on is the degree of his neediness, which is making his life less than it could be.
Of course I believe in happily ever after.
Oscars (such as "Lost in Translation" last year).
If for no other reason than to open up more slots in the Independent Spirit Awards for truely independent films.