Man, A.O. Scott doesn't care whose toes he steps on. To wit:
[T]he reaction to "Sideways" is worth noting, less because it isn't quite as good as everyone seems to be saying it is than because the near-unanimous praise of it reveals something about the psychology of critics, as distinct from our taste. Miles, the movie's hero, has been variously described as a drunk, a wine snob, a sad sack and a loser, but it has seldom been mentioned that he is also, by temperament if not by profession, a critic.
Well, duh. Why not just chant "We accept you! One of us!" and have done with it?