SIDEWAYS is vintage comedy that, like a good bottle of wine, will only get better with age. Director Alexander Payne is well established as one of the great directors of his generation, and here he impresses again as the rare filmmaker whose reliance is not on special effects or sleight of hand, but on words and warmth. The film's brilliant cast provides the soul to this compassionate film about friendship and all its imperfections. AFI raises a glass of Pinot noir to the creative ensemble for their remarkable achievement with SIDEWAYS.