Sideways

Sideways is currently streaming in Australia on Disney Plus, and in the UK on Disney Plus, and it delivers exactly the kind of comedy that earns a loyal following. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. With 1,903 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Watch it for Paul Giamatti — stay for everyone else around them. Available now on Disney Plus — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Sideways arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. Sideways does what great comedies rarely manage — it is actually funny, consistently, across the whole run. Two middle-aged men embark on a spiritual journey through Californian wine country. One is an unpublished novelist suffering from depression, and the other is only days away from walking down the aisle. Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2004. The real test of any comedy is whether it is still funny once you know all the jokes, and Sideways holds up on rewatch in a way that separates it from one-off curiosities. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Sideways is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Paul Giamatti anchors an ensemble with real chemistry. Genuinely funny, consistently, across the whole run.