Sour Grapes (1998 film)

Last updated
Sour Grapes
Sour Grapes 1998 poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Larry David
Written byLarry David
Produced by Laurie Lennard
Starring
CinematographyVictor Hammer
Edited by Priscilla Nedd-Friendly
Music by Stewart Copeland
Production
company
Distributed by
Release date
  • April 17, 1998 (1998-04-17)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$123,104 [2]

Sour Grapes is a 1998 American black comedy film written and directed by Larry David and starring Steven Weber, Craig Bierko, Viola Harris, Karen Sillas, Robyn Peterman and Matt Keeslar. [3] It was released on April 17, 1998, by Columbia Pictures.

Contents

Plot

Richie Maxwell is down to his last quarter at a slot machine in Atlantic City, so he asks cousin Evan for two more coins for one more spin — a spin that wins a $436,000 jackpot.

The joy of victory is quickly replaced by a fierce disagreement over who deserves what. Richie begins by offering Evan a very small percentage of his winnings. Evan didn't expect anything at first but now he is offended because he provided two-thirds of the money Richie sank into the machine.

A bitter feud develops. Richie, a sneaker designer, hogs all the money and quits his job. Evan, a doctor, is so annoyed that, as a prank, he lets Richie believe he is dying. By the time he reveals the joke, Richie has done something drastic.

The more rattled Evan gets, the more distracted he becomes at work. And even when the cousins come to a tentative truce, everything backfires on them in events that involve girlfriends, relatives and even the homeless.

In the end, Ritchie loses all his money and winds up right back where he started. Despondent, he goes home to perform oral sex on himself—a pastime of his.

Cast

Production

It was shot between May and July 1997, [4] [5] after Larry David had left Seinfeld . Locations used include New York, Long Beach, California and Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Reception

The film gained generally poor reviews from critics, [6] and has a 27% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 15 reviews. [7] The film made it on the 2000 list of Roger Ebert's most hated films, remarking in his review that, "I can't easily remember a film I've enjoyed less." [8] He criticized its mean-spirited nature, saying "Sour Grapes is a comedy about things that aren't funny [...] Larry David, who wrote and directed Sour Grapes, apparently thinks people are amused by cancer, accidental castration, racial stereotypes and bitter family feuds." [8] Leonard Klady of Variety wrote in his review that, "the idea of good intentions misfiring is a driving force of the humor in Sour Grapes. But bad intentions also provide hilarity here, and the domino effect each has on escalating the stakes is alarming, outrageous and very real." He added, "there’s an edginess that periodically spins out into crass overstatement. Richie’s mom is too much of a harridan of a Jewish matriarch, and low sexual comedy is used for easy laughs. These are unnecessary crutches in an otherwise clever and humorously realized movie." [9]

Larry David himself has expressed regrets over the film. A poster for the film was put up on the set of David's office for the filming of Curb Your Enthusiasm's pilot episode. David had the poster promptly removed because he got "sick of looking at it" after one show. [10] In a later episode, David's character tells his wife to stop lending people the film, and says he doesn't believe a friend who claimed to have enjoyed the movie, stating she was just trying to be polite.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Alexander</span> American actor (born 1959)

Jay Scott Greenspan, known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor and comedian. He played George Costanza in the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1998, for which he was nominated for seven consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards.

<i>Seinfeld</i> American television sitcom (1989–1998)

Seinfeld is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989 to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of 180 episodes. The show's ensemble cast stars Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself and focuses on his personal life with three of his friends: best friend George Costanza, former girlfriend Elaine Benes, and neighbor from across the hall, Cosmo Kramer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Louis-Dreyfus</span> American actress and comedian (born 1961)

Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedian. Often described as one of the greatest performers in television history, she is widely known for her roles as various characters on Saturday Night Live (1982–1985), Elaine Benes on Seinfeld (1990–1998), Christine Campbell on The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006–2010), and Selina Meyer on Veep (2012–2019). Her list of accolades makes her one of the most award-winning actresses in American television history, and she has received more Primetime Emmy Awards and more Screen Actors Guild Awards than any other performer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Seinfeld</span> American comedian and actor (born 1954)

Jerome Allen Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He played a semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom Seinfeld, which he created and wrote with Larry David. The show aired on NBC from 1989 until 1998, becoming one of the most acclaimed and popular sitcoms of all time. As a stand-up comedian, Seinfeld specializes in observational comedy. In 2004, Comedy Central named him the 12th-greatest stand-up comedian of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Richards</span> American actor and comedian (born 1949)

Michael Anthony Richards is an American actor and former stand-up comedian. He achieved global recognition for starring as Cosmo Kramer on the NBC television sitcom Seinfeld from 1989 to 1998. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, first entering the national spotlight when he was featured on Billy Crystal's first cable TV special, and went on to become a series regular on ABC's Fridays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry David</span> American comedian, writer and actor (born 1947)

Lawrence Gene David is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He and Jerry Seinfeld created the television sitcom Seinfeld, of which David was head writer and executive producer for the first seven seasons. He gained further recognition for creating and writing the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, in which he also stars as a fictionalized version of himself. David's work on Seinfeld won him two Primetime Emmy Awards in 1993, for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Comedy Series; he was nominated 17 other times.

Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American television sitcom created by Larry David that aired on HBO from October 15, 2000, to April 7, 2024. David stars as a fictionalized version of himself and it follows his life as a semi-retired television writer and producer in Los Angeles and, for one season, New York City. Also starring are Cheryl Hines as his wife Cheryl, Jeff Garlin as his manager and best friend Jeff Greene, Susie Essman as Jeff's wife Susie, and J. B. Smoove as Larry's housemate Leon Black. It often features celebrity guest stars, many of them playing fictionalized versions of themselves, including Ted Danson, Richard Lewis, Wanda Sykes, Rosie O'Donnell, and Jon Hamm.

Larry Charles is an American comedian, screenwriter, director, actor, and producer. He was a staff writer for the sitcom Seinfeld for its first five seasons. He has also directed the documentary film Religulous and the mockumentary comedy films Borat, Brüno, and The Dictator. His Netflix documentary series Larry Charles' Dangerous World of Comedy premiered in 2019.

"The Invitations" is the 24th and final episode of the seventh season of Seinfeld and the 134th overall episode. It originally aired on May 16, 1996, and was the last episode written by co-creator Larry David before he left the writing staff at the end of this season. This episode was directed by Andy Ackerman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Peterman</span> American entrepreneur

John Peterman is an American catalog and retail entrepreneur from Lexington, Kentucky, who operates the J. Peterman Company. He grew up in West Nyack, New York as the son of a banker and secretary. He is known for founding the J. Peterman Company after finding a cowboy duster on a business trip. He is also known for being fictionalized in the TV series Seinfeld. Peterman was also a Minor League Baseball player, Kentucky rancher, and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Bristow</span> American actor, comedian and director (born 1962)

Patrick Bristow is an American actor, comedian and director. He is best known for playing Peter Barnes on Ellen (1994-1998), and Patrick on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2005-2008), and for the film Pain & Gain (2013).

"The Chicken Roaster" is the 142nd episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. This was the eighth episode for the eighth season, originally airing on November 14, 1996. The episode's story follows the mishaps which follow when Kenny Rogers Roasters opens a branch in the characters' neighborhood. The restaurant's neon sign shines into Kramer's apartment, disturbing first him and then Jerry after they switch apartments, but Jerry opposes Kramer's efforts to shut the restaurant down since a college friend of his is assistant manager at the branch. Meanwhile, Elaine is in danger of being fired from J. Peterman after she misuses the company account for personal purchases.

"The Finale" is the series finale of the American television sitcom Seinfeld. It is the 23rd and 24th episode of the ninth season, and the 179th and the 180th episode overall. The episode, written by series co-creator Larry David and directed by Andy Ackerman, originally aired on NBC on May 14, 1998, to an audience of 76 million viewers, making it so the fourth-most watched overall television series finale. In the preceding hour, a clip show called "The Chronicle" aired. The initial running time for the finale was 1 hour and 15 minutes.

"The Fire" is the 84th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld and the 20th episode of the fifth season. It originally aired on May 5, 1994, on NBC. This was the final episode to be written by Larry Charles. In this episode, Elaine's co-worker Toby annoys her with her enthusiasm and ruins one of Jerry's shows with well-meaning heckling, Kramer becomes a hero while saving Toby's severed pinky toe, and George exposes his own cowardice when he discovers a fire at a children's birthday party.

"The Foundation" is the 135th episode of the American television sitcom Seinfeld. This was the first episode of the eighth season, and as such was the first episode in which Jerry Seinfeld assumed command of the show following the departure of its co-creator, Larry David. It was originally broadcast on the NBC network on September 19, 1996.

"The Friar's Club" is the 128th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This is the 18th episode for the seventh season, originally airing on March 7, 1996. In this episode, Jerry jeopardizes his chances of becoming a member of the New York Friars' Club when he accidentally takes a club jacket home with him, George hopes to spend more time with Jerry by fixing him up with his fiancé Susan's best friend, and J. Peterman saddles Elaine with the workload of her hard-of-hearing co-worker.

"The Understudy" is the 110th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This is the 24th and final episode for the sixth season. It aired on May 18, 1995. This is the second episode in the series not to open with a stand-up routine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. B. Smoove</span> American actor (born 1965)

Jerry Angelo Brooks, commonly known by his stage name J. B. Smoove, is an American actor, comedian and writer. After beginning his career in 1995 on Def Comedy Jam, he was a writer and performer on NBC's Saturday Night Live (2003–06). He is best known for his starring roles on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm (2007–24) and the CBS sitcom The Millers (2013–15). He also portrayed a fictionalized version of himself on the BET improv-comedy reality television parody Real Husbands of Hollywood (2013–16).

Jeff Schaffer is an American film and television director, writer, and producer.

"No Lessons Learned" is the series finale of the American television sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm. It is the tenth episode of the twelfth season and the 120th episode overall of the series. The episode's story was written by series creator and star Larry David and executive producer Jeff Schaffer; the episode, instead, was directed by Schaffer. The episode first aired on HBO in the United States on April 7, 2024, and was also available on Max on the same date.

References

  1. ↑ "Sour Grapes (1998)". BBFC . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Sour Grapes (1998)". Box Office Mojo. 1998-04-19. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
  3. ↑ Goldstein, Patrick (1998-04-29). "The King of Kvetch". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
  4. ↑ "Sour Grapes".
  5. ↑ "Grounds-Welles of pix; thesps eye 'Break'". 28 August 1997.
  6. ↑ Mathews, Jack (1998-04-17). "Sour Grapes Has a 'Seinfeld' Flavor". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
  7. ↑ Sour Grapes at Rotten Tomatoes
  8. 1 2 "Sour Grapes". RogerEbert.com. 1998-04-17. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  9. ↑ Klady, Leonard (1998-04-13). "Sour Grapes". Variety. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  10. ↑ "Audio commentary". Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season One (DVD). HBO. January 13, 2004.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.