Sour Grapes (1998)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Larry David

Writer (WGA):

Larry David (written by)

Release Date:

17 April 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

A hilarious comedy from the co-creator of "Seinfeld"

Plot:

Two cousins and friends, Richie and Evan, go to Atlantic City to gamble. Richie loses all he has at...

Plot Keywords:

Jackpot | Cousin | Slot Machine | Money | Jealousy

Cast

Jack Burns	...	Eulogist
Viola Harris	...	Selma Maxwell
Scott Erik	...	Teenage Richie
Michael Resnick	...	Teenage Evan
Steven Weber	...	Evan Maxwell
Craig Bierko	...	Richie Maxwell
Jennifer Leigh Warren	...	Millie
Karen Sillas	...	Joan
Robyn Peterman	...	Roberta
Anthony Parziale	...	Blackjack Dealer
Abraham Kessler	...	Crap Dealer
Fred Goehner	...	Floor Manager
Amy Hohn	...	Waitress
Denise Bessette	...	Cocktail Waitress
Angelo Tiffe	...	Chauffeur

MPAA:

Rated R for language and sex-related humor.

Runtime:

91 min | Argentina:92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby | SDDS

Certification:

UK:15 | Iceland:L | Germany:6 | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | USA:R | Australia:M | Argentina:16 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Quotes:

Mr. Bell: I'll tell you another thing; you're not a good sole designer.
Richie: Hey! I'm a great sole designer. Great!
Mr. Bell: No, you're not.
Richie: That's your opinion.
Mr. Bell: That's right.
Richie: Well, we disagree.
Mr. Bell: Yes, we do.
Richie: Well, you take care of yourself.
Mr. Bell: I intend to.
Richie: I'm sure you do.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Spoofs "Friends" (1994)

Soundtrack:

String Quartet in G, K516

Mediocre Overall but Has Its Moments...

You could almost call "Sour Grapes", "Seinfeld: The Movie". A lot of the rhythm is like the show expanded (and with profanity) to 90 minutes. The plot is sitcom-ville but it's workable and serves as a good setup. Two cousins, Evan (Steve Weber) and Richie (Criag Bierko) travel to Atlantic City. When Richie runs out of money for a gambling machine and asks Evan for two quarters, Richie ends up winning a jackpot. Evan feels he's entitled to half of the loot but Richie feels differently. From there the plot escalates as each enacts some kind of revenge and relates his feelings to his friends, co-workers and family with sides being taken and a lot of very expressive opinions being made by all. Now, some of the banter works quite well. For example, there's a well done scene where Evan (who's a doctor of some sort) doesn't want to see any patients (for reasons that are too complex to go into but suffice to say it involves the removal of some vital male structures). He asks his receptionist to tell all the patients waiting to go. She asks him should she tell them individually or as a group? The exchange is pure, classic Larry David and it's played with such understatement that it's a joy. Another bit later on involves Larry David himself (in a toupee!!) playing a brash `Hollywood' type who somehow gets into how Eskimos would handle punishment. But as the plot escalates into more and more bizarre situations and setups, the film becomes strained and the comedy suffers. As Director and Writer, Larry David weaves so many characters and plot elements into the mix that he seems desperate to come up with an ending that will pull all the strings together in a satisfying way. Like many of even the best of the `Seinfeld' episodes, he simply ends the movie with a drab almost eventless ending that feels like a cheat. With all that came before it, we feel that we deserve some kind of big ending. Though it's not a great movie, Stanley Kramer's `It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World' had a `big' ending that felt exactly right in contrast to all the "madcap" elements that came before it no matter how forced and unfunny. Maybe David felt he was being revolutionary or something in not giving into the basic comedic instinct for this kind of ending. But we're talking about low comedy not high art.

The performances are fine. Steven Weber is a good comedic actor. His yuppie handsomeness is perfect for David's lines and he underplays certain scenes wonderfully. You can see his shock registering every times something goes wrong and he wonders how he got into all of this. Craig Bierko overplays a lot of his scenes by mugging but given the nature of his character (he's basically selfish and obnoxious) it's consistent and he never lets up on it. One thing you cannot fault David is his casting of African-Americans and older actors even if they are all supporting roles. And he gives them lines and situations that have comedic punch. Overall, `Sour Grapes' is watchable, passable, entertainment. Not a great movie comedy but it certainly has it's moments.