Got off my lazy butt yesterday and went to see a movie I had been dying to see–“Sideways.” I mean, a movie made over a backdrop of wine tasting? (But not, as Gus insisted to me, a movie about wine!) Should have been a dream movie!

I say “should have” because it fell far, far short of my expectations.

Though I thought Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church both give great performances, the story left me feeling, I don’t know, bored? Disinterested? Not giving a rat’s a$$ about what happened to the characters?

Sure, I was rooting for Giamatti’s character to snap out of his funk, even though you know his low self esteem can probably never recover. And I hated Church’s womanizing, deceptive, B-list actor. But I didn’t feel strongly enough about either to really care how it all ended up.

Apparently, I’m not alone in my disappointment: A.O. Scott in the New York Times this weekend dubbed the movie “The Most Overrated Film of the Year.”

At least one scene, however, really drew me in: Virginia Madsen’s soulful character gives a monologue about why she loves wine; it’s enough to make anyone look at their next bottle just a little differently. But the moment is short and fleeting, nipped by more attention to the schlubby main character, Miles, and his insecurities.

My advice? Wait for the DVD.