MetaChat - Ask MeCha. Question about the movie Sideways.

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12 July 2007

Ask MeCha. Question about the movie Sideways. I was reading over some oral histories for my family history and grabbed a DVD at random to add some background noise while I was working. It was Sideways.→[More:]

At the point where Jack comes back to the hotel room naked Miles says about the distance, "That's like seven klicks". Klicks is common shorthand for kilometer in most English speaking armys. It always seemed odd to me in an American movie. Does the American military use the metric system? Why would the movie writer use klicks rather than miles?

post by: arse_hat at: 23:09 | 4 comments

The U.S. Army does use the metric system as its basic navigational measurement system. But neither of the "Sideways" characters makes any substantive reference to a previous military background back story. I think the point of the reference is simply that, some times, guys use quasi-military terminology with one another to sound masculine, tough, and worldly. By estimating the distance in kilometers, Miles was making a metaphor to Jack's journey as a forced march, and trying to recognize the accomplishment of someone making a 7 kilometer journey, naked, without getting injured or arrested.

posted by paulsc 12 July | 23:49

That sounds reasonable Paul. Thanks.

posted by arse_hat 12 July | 23:58

What a great movie Sideways is. The scene where he's talking to his ex-wife at the wedding always chokes me up.

posted by essexjan 13 July | 04:50

Yeah, it's a phenomenal movie.

Paulsc has it.

posted by Miko 13 July | 08:42

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