Review of Sour Grapes (1998) by Jer M — 06 Oct 2007

Though this isn't the best of films, I still recommend this to hardcore Larry David fans because you can definitely see the genesis of Curb peeking out from within the flickering frames of Sour Grapes: The classical music cues, the hilariously vulgar dialogue, and petty, self-obsessed characters.

Unfortunately, it was pretty obvious that the roles belonging to Steven Weber and Craig Bierko were intended to go to Richard Lewis and Michael Richards. For whatever reason, he went with these two and, while both are competent enough, some of their delivery kind of kills the funnier lines because they're attempting to copy a sitcom style of acting which, sadly, only works in sitcoms.

This, coupled with a subplot about the homeless that goes nowhere, drag the movie down further than it should have been because the premise is rife with possibilities and the script really is well-written.

Had Larry David casted this better, this would have been a much better film. Fortunately, he gave these themes the treatment they deserved in the vastly superior Curb Your Enthusiasm which has turned out to be one of the best sitcoms ever.