获得今年奥斯卡最佳影片奖提名的“Sideways"（杯酒人生）在当前充满了电脑特效（如《功夫》）、诡谲情节（如《无间道》）、晦涩小资的电影语言（如《2046》）以及华丽的所谓视觉盛宴（如《十面埋伏》）的众多大制作当中，显得非常平淡从容，如同一瓶清淡的“激活”之于“统一鲜橙多”。影片讲的是两个事业无成的中年男人一个星期的旅行，从中表现他们对待感情和生活的态度。故事平淡无奇，但讲得却好像是我们自己的事，我们这些上了年岁的人看完后颇有点忧郁的感觉。不过实际上，这部片子应归于轻喜剧，尤其是其中的人物对白清新、自然、幽默，但有别于夸张的周氏无厘头语言，（严重声明：本人为星爷的忠实粉丝和周氏电影的研究者，这里绝没有贬低星爷的意思），很多地方能让观众会心一笑，而且有好多关于葡萄酒种类、常识和鉴赏的对白，值得英语学习者和爱好者好好研究。下面我就选择几个场景，和大家一起欣赏该片对白的魅力。

　　场景一：主人公Miles向bartender介绍他朋友Jack.

　　Miles: This is my buddy Jack. He's getting married next week.

　　Bartender: Oh, my condolences, man.

　　呵呵，原来在自由如美国的国度，男人一结婚也同样是丧失了自由。

　　场景二：主人公Miles写的小说又被出版商拒绝了。他很沮丧，觉得自己的大半生已经过去，仍是一事无成。Jack试图安慰他。

　　Miles: I'm a thumbprint on the window of a skycraper. I'm a smudge of excrement on a tissue surging out to sea with a million tons of raw sewage.

　　Jack: See? Right there. Just what you just said? That is beautiful. "A smudge of excrement surging out to sea". I could never write that.

　　Miles: Neither could I. Actually, I think it's Bukowski.

　　注：Bukowski: 查理·布考斯基，美国当代最伟大的写实作家之一。

　　场景三：Jack极力鼓动Miles追求对他颇有好感的Maya。他们边走边说，正走到一位绅士带着一个十岁出头的男孩纳凉的桌子旁, Jack说：

　　Don't you want to feel that cozy little box grip down on your Johnson?

　　这句话翻出来就非常不雅了，大家可以查查box和Johnson作俚语用是什么意思。

　　旁边的绅士非常无奈地说：Hey! Mind keeping it down, buddy? 小点声，啊行啊？

　　场景四：Miles和Jack驾车前往旅行的目的地：Santa Rosa。Miles兴致勃勃地向Jack介绍该地的特产--皮诺(Pinot)葡萄：The reason that this region is so good for pinot is that the cold air off the pacific flows in at night and it just cools down the berries. Pinot is a very thin-skinned grape. It doesn't like

　　constant heat or humidity. Very delicate.

　　影片还提到了许多葡萄酒词汇，比如另外一个葡萄品种：夏多内

　　(Chardonnay)。

　　场景五：Miles向Jack介绍如何品尝葡萄酒：

　　First thing: hold the glass up and examine the wine against the light. You are looking for color and clarity... Now tip it. (他把手中的酒杯倾斜）What you're doing here is checking for color density as it thins out towards the rim.

　　That's gonna tell you how old it is. Among other things, it's usually more important with reds...Now, stick your nose in it...(接着Miles把酒杯放在桌上用力晃动）Put your glass down. Get some air into it. Oxygenating it and open it up. It unlocks the aromas, the flavors. Very important. Smell again.

　　看见没？喝酒之前要先观察酒的醇度和浓度，颜色的深度，再闻酒的味道，然后还要给酒热身，让它的香味充分散发出来。这样喝酒才有品味，不像我们一坐下，就大叫：先来两箱。然后卜、卜、卜全部打开，一杯一杯的干。唉，太没文化了。