Alexander Payne: Sideways Glance at America

Payne’s About Schmidt, Election, and, of course, Sideways have all had success with mainstream audiences, and we find this encouraging, since there’s more than a little something off-kilter about his work. There’s his seedy and often shocking sense of humor; annoying and utterly pathetic characters that you don’t like, but can’t help but empathize with; and, ultimately, a pretty bleak worldview. To us, this says that moviegoers are indeed still interested in being challenged and disturbed by popular fare. Payne will offer his own thoughts about his success in a conversation with filmmaker and L.A. Times film critic Kenneth Turan, which should be entertaining if you enjoy watching people talk about movies, a la Siskel & Ebert. If you’d rather just cut to the chase, as they say in Hollywood, the Walker is also screening a retrospective of Payne’s work. We’re especially curious to see The Passion of Martin, a black comedy he made in 1991 as a film student, about a thirty-ish photographer who believes that a woman who admires his work is destined to become his soulmate. www.walkerart.org