Greatest acting by an actor in a single Scene?
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Soresu — 14 years ago(November 21, 2011 01:04 PM)
For everyone's enjoyment
http://movieclips.com/debDZ-sideways-movie-miles-and-victoria/
"Out!!! Out!!! Who do you work for?!!" -
rick03 — 14 years ago(December 07, 2011 10:16 PM)
Definitely agree. You should watch the dvd commentary to get a little more insight on the scene. Apparently, Paul got a lot of help from Payne in playing the scene. The idea he gave him to try to continually smile throughout the whole reaction. Worked pretty darn well.
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tiger01 — 14 years ago(February 16, 2012 01:54 PM)
Totally agree. It was just such a brilliant piece of acting and is one of the highlights of the movie for me. I think this is the perfect example of someone figuratively "breaking into pieces".
I don't think Victoria is a bad person and the viewer is naturally more sympathetic towards Miles, but she had lived with Miles long enough to presumably know how devastating something like that would be to him. I don't think she meant it out of cruelty but was rather naive in thinking someone like Miles would be fine such a relatively short time after their divorce. -
Jibbler66 — 13 years ago(March 23, 2013 06:46 AM)
wow just finished watching it, seen the thread title and wondered if it would be talking about the same scene! I agree what makes this movie great is it's so realistic not everything has a happy ending not everything is resolved, life is hard and I could feel exactly what he was going through as I have felt those emotions before
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duffifi2 — 12 years ago(December 29, 2013 10:54 AM)
Actually, I don't think she did think that. Recall that during Miles's drunken phone call to her, she warned that it would probably best if they were to avoid meeting at the reception, and in the scene under discussion, it was clear she was worried about his emotional reaction. I though she (the actress) also played the scene well; it was heartfelt (and not easy to watch).
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spaminput — 12 years ago(February 02, 2014 12:32 PM)
Even knowing how he would feel about it, I think she decided to have the courage to do the decent thing and tell him the truth herself face to face and take the chance with his reaction. This is the antithesis of Jack's cowardly behavior throughout the entire movie.
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IloveMuggy — 10 years ago(October 13, 2015 12:17 PM)
Agree, AfroGeekthat was an excellent scene & well-acted on both sides. When Miles realizes that Jack is seriously melting down, his facial acting is incredibly goodas it is when Maya is talking about why she loves wine so much at Stephanie's house. You can see him absolutely fall in love during that scene!
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johnsmith0987654321 — 12 years ago(May 09, 2013 04:14 AM)
I agree, he did a great job and he is a great actor.
HOWEVER, don't give too much credit to actors though. You take 100 people and I guarentee at least 20 of them could be oscar winners if given the chance.
Acting is a skill, but it's nothing like being a singer, artist or musician. Actors receive too much credit for what they do in my opinion, and they are overpaid.
Paul Giamatti did a great job, but that doesn't make him the most talented man in the world. -
DerekTheCritic — 12 years ago(May 09, 2013 09:59 AM)
That scene was POWERFUL.
The real joy of "Sideways" is how ordinary and simple it SEEMS. That's the whole point. To the casual viewer, it's a bland, boring movie about a depressed guy getting drunk in wine country with his buddy. But to those who care to look a little more closely, it's a very powerful and intelligent movie about life, love, and the pursuit of happiness (which is really the only way I can describe it). Paul Giamatti in that scene with his ex, especially after all we've learned about the character, portrayed that raw emotion so subtlely and perfectly. How he didn't get NOMINATED is beyond me. -
MudgeMalog — 10 years ago(October 17, 2015 07:52 AM)
The Oscars don't like giving awards to "Loser" characters. Any actor playing a character who's down on life and constantly depressed is bound to get snubbed. The Academy likes actors who fight adversity or conquer their demons or rebound from disaster, etc. Although Miles does, somewhat, come out a winner at the end, for the bulk of the movie, I'd say he's a "Loser."
Don Cheadle in Hotel Rwanda & Leo DiCaprio in Aviator were nominated that year
in less powerful roles, but got the nomination because their characters were such winners.
You think I'm crazy? Perhaps we're all a little crazy. I know I am.
-Hugo Simpson -
thecrux-1 — 12 years ago(May 09, 2013 09:46 PM)
Wedding scene the OP mentioned was great, but I'd like to add another that happened earlier in the movie:
At the scenic overlook where Miles reminisces to Jack about how he and Victoria enjoyed wine at a picnic and extolled her wine-smarts and Jack tells Miles that Victoria remarried.
Miles reaction was of near devastation. His voice cracked and quivered as he asks who: "To that guy with the restaurant?" Very real. -
tomkaren1994 — 12 years ago(June 09, 2013 07:40 PM)
This scene was indeed incredible. I can remember only two other times I've seen a scene performance as powerful Elisabeth Shue as Sera in Leaving Las Vegas, watching over Ben as he wakes up in the morning after staying over at her apartment, and Judy Parfitt as Vera in Delores Claiborne when she tells Delores about how her husband's brakes "failed" on the way home from his mistress' apartment.
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famousmortimer-2 — 12 years ago(June 17, 2013 11:15 AM)
Those are some stellar examples. All three films remain favorites precisely because of the first rate acting the way the camera just holds on the performance, catching all the nuances of the eyes and delivery.