Review of Sour Grapes (1998) by Yousuf A — 08 Aug 2007

There are some classic Larry David moments. Keen observations on disregard for social norms and enough faux pas to give George Costanzia a run for his money. You even see a few scenes that were later reprised in Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm. But surprising as it may be, Larry David's directorial debut is simply not funny.

Mostly falling flat thanks to a cast that just doesn't get it, I have the feeling Larry David also was experimenting with what he thought was comical and how it translated to the screen. Perhaps David needed the more stage friendly Jerry Seinfeld to bring the sensibilities to get his sometimes grating and potentially offensive brand of humor to work.

If ever there needed to be a case made that the same script -- from scenes to specific jokes -- can vary so widely in interpretation from actor to actor, and how it can be historically hilarious in one case and completely bland in the next, this would be it.