— by Ben Cosgrove Alexander Payne's Oscar-winning comedy, "Sideways," released this week on DVD, is just the latest in a long line of "buddies on the road" movies. Here's the classic scenario: a couple of pals — usually men, but occasionally women — hit the road, either because they're fleeing the law, on the cusp of a great watershed in their lives or they're simply suffering from wanderlust. They leave home. They have adventures. They learn a few things about themselves. They return home a little older, a little wiser. (Or, in some cases, they don't return at all, but instead die gruesome deaths in some far away place. Or at least they appear to die gruesome deaths. The rules regarding mortality, you see, are somewhat fluid when it comes to buddy road movies. More on that below.) At any rate, here are some notable examples from the genre available right now on DVD. Let's roll. "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" (2004) Yes, they do. They go to White Castle. Eventually. But before they go to White Castle, straight-laced Harold and rebel-without-a-clue Kumar climb into Harold's car and proceed to encounter enough dangers (rabid raccoons, foxy but gaseous twins, a scarily exuberant Neil Patrick "Doogie" Harris, etc.) to last a lifetime. And, of course, by the end of the film, they've both enjoyed some major insights into their own lives, as well as many excellent burgers. "Shanghai Noon" (2000) Jackie Chan is Chon Wang (sounds like John Wayne — get it?), a 19th century immigrant from China who comes to the American West in hopes of saving a kidnapped Chinese empress (Lucy Liu). When he meets up with the sneaky, charming huckster Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson), the two join forces and get into and out of a series of seemingly endless and perfectly implausible scrapes. Goofy, self-parodying and entertaining as hell. "Swingers" (1996) Mike and Trent (Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughan) are buddies. Mike has lost his girlfriend. Trent is a charismatic nut job. The two of them wander around Hollywood looking for parties, girls and good times, but find less than zero at every turn. They go to Vegas. Wackiness ensues. A modern classic, even if it hadn't introduced the phrase "You are so money!" into the popular vocabulary. And after 10 years, it holds up remarkably well. "Beavis and Butt-Head Do America" (1996) If you're looking for a plot summary here you're not only missing the point, it's a safe bet that you'll hate this movie. If, on the other hand, you're a B&B fan who has somehow managed to make it this far in life without seeing this masterpiece — or you've seen it, but you haven't got your own copy yet — now's your chance. Do it. Heh, heh. "Dumb & Dumber" (1994) Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels redefine the joys of idiocy in the Farrelly brothers' first blockbuster festival of bad taste. As Lloyd and Harry, Carrey and Daniels travel across the country to return a suitcase full of money to a beautiful woman (Lauren Holly), and of course encounter all sorts of weirdos who are only too willing to act as straight men and women for the half-witted duo. Like all the Farrellys' movies, though, this one has a good heart — something not easily said about much Hollywood comedy these days. "Thelma & Louise" (1991) Ridley Scott's genre-busting, gun-toting, Thunderbird-revving fable centers on two friends (Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis) who head out on a vacation that rapidly turns into a cross-country flight from the law, represented by Harvey Keitel in a fashionably baggy suit. Spoiler alert! The final shot of the two of them clasping hands as their T-Bird convertible hurtles off a cliff has rightly entered Hollywood legend, with wisenheimers constantly pointing out that we can't be sure that Thelma and Louise actually die, because we never see their car crash land. Point taken. "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" (1987) After making his mark as the godfather of cheesy teen angst in movies like "Pretty in Pink" and "The Breakfast Club," writer and director John Hughes took a major step forward with this tale of opposites not exactly attracting, but at least warming up to one another while in transit. Steve Martin plays Neal Page, an uptight jerk trying to get home to Chicago for Thanksgiving and burdened by the eternal presence of shower-curtain-ring salesman and bad joke teller extraordinaire Del Griffith (the late, great John Candy). "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969) Close to perfection, George Roy Hill's loving tribute to all things dusty and sexy and Old Western pairs Paul Newman and Robert Redford (as Butch and Sundance, respectively) as a pair of absurdly good-looking and charming bank robbers who flee to Bolivia (yes, Bolivia) when things heat up for them in the States. As with "Thelma & Louise," the very last shot of the movie has become an iconic Hollywood image, not least because it captures the characteristics that make Butch and Sundance so damn charismatic: hope, humor and guts. Check out everything we've got on "Sideways." Visit Movies on MTV.com for more from Hollywood, including news, interviews, trailers and more. If you're interested in checking out any of these flicks — or literally thousands of others — head over to The MTV Movie Shop.
	Photos: Fox Searchlight Pictures