Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • Thank You
    • 4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
    • 3999. The Pianist (2002)
    • 3998. Philadelphia (1993)
    • 3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
    • 3996. The Green Mile (1999)
    • 3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
    • 3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»2598. Sidetracked (2014)

    2598. Sidetracked (2014)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on June 27, 2019 100-109 mins, 2014, 6 - 7.9, Comedy, Drama, Jun 19, Movies Of 2019, Review, Romance, Spain
    6.7 Overly ambitious
    • Acting 7.3
    • Directing 6.4
    • Story 6.3
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Raúl Arévalo, Inma Cuesta, Candela Peña

    Director: Álvaro Fernández Armero

    Running Time: 104 mins


    Sidetracked (Las ovejas no pierden el tren) is a Spanish film about the lives of three couples, from their romantic escapades to family troubles as they try to seek some stability in their lives.

    Although it features a collection of fairly level-headed and likable leads, there’s something about Sidetracked that just feels really rather dull to me. Occasionally devoid of reality with its melodrama, and occasionally trying to make something out of nothing in its screenplay, the film lacks the narrative consistency and emotional depth to prove in any way engaging, only being saved by the odd good laugh and a group of strong lead performances.

    Now, as has been proven a million times before, a great romantic comedy is really hard to get right. There are classics in the genre, but too many take an overly ambitious or frustratingly vague approach to what can actually be a very simple premise, and that’s unfortunately the case with Sidetracked. While it may have the good intentions of most romantic films, it attempts to give an overarching perspective on love and everything about it in the space of just over an hour and a half, an impossible task that’s made all the more difficult by poor writing.

    If the film had a more incisive and dramatic emotional core in the vein of something like Stuck In Love, then its ideas about love may have proved rather more interesting. On the flipside, if it started of with a slightly more light-hearted approach and endeared you to its characters before moving into some of the more serious stuff, then I’m certain the film would have been both more enjoyable and more interesting.

    Unfortunately, Sidetracked is a film with too much ambition for its own good, frustratingly weaving between the lives of its three main couples in search of allegories for the struggles of life and love, but instead comes up feeling very forced with its attempts to build serious and thought-provoking drama out of very little.

    The only saving grace for the film comes in the form of its lighter side, but even that doesn’t quite work given how out of place it all feels in comparison to the more serious drama. While there are good laughs, I’d be reluctant to even call this a romantic comedy – which is what it’s marketed as.

    Look to films like When Harry Met Sally for how to make a funny, light-hearted movie that also had great dramatic depth and genuinely thought-provoking ideas. Sidetracked, for all is attempts to emulate that, just doesn’t pull it off particularly convincingly.

    And with a screenplay and direction that do leave a lot to be desired, much of the burden for the film falls on its lead cast, who do as good a job as possible to give it some good, cinematic energy and entertainment value.

    While the characters are far from the best you’ve ever met, the leads all put in likable and genuinely entertaining performances, with Inma Cuesta and Candela Peña in particular proving the film’s most engaging personalities. What’s more, the six leads all have good chemistry with one another, and work well to make those central romantic relationship as convincing as possible – even if that isn’t quite enough to make the film anywhere as interesting or impacting as it aims to be, and that’s why I’m giving Sidetracked a 6.7 overall.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. From January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2022, he watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    8.2

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    8.2
    December 25, 2022

    3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

    5.6
    December 10, 2022

    3969. Falling For Christmas (2022)

    6.9
    December 4, 2022

    3956. The People We Hate At The Wedding (2022)

    5.4
    December 3, 2022

    3954. Disenchanted (2022)

    7.4
    December 3, 2022

    3953. Meet Cute (2022)

    7.6
    November 23, 2022

    3934. Do Revenge (2022)

    7.0
    November 18, 2022

    3929. The Wonder (2022)

    6.7
    November 13, 2022

    3924. See How They Run (2022)

    Recommended Movies
    8.0
    Review
    January 25, 20190

    2433. Destroyer (2018)

    8.0
    Review
    February 24, 20190

    2466. From Here To Eternity (1953)

    8.6
    Review
    May 8, 20210

    3340. Touching The Void (2003)

    8.0
    Review
    February 28, 20200

    2870. The Invisible Man (2020)

    8.9
    Review
    October 12, 20220

    3890. Jackie Brown (1997)

    Popular Posts
    December 31, 2022

    Thank You

    8.2
    December 31, 2022

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8
    December 30, 2022

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2
    December 29, 2022

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    7.5
    December 28, 2022

    3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

    9.1
    December 27, 2022

    3996. The Green Mile (1999)

    7.6
    December 26, 2022

    3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.