Sour Grapes

I saw Larry David's film "Sour Grapes" last week and was a bit surprised to see that it was basically a "Seinfeld" clone. It had a Jerry character, a combined George/Kramer character, and - just like the show - the plot featured the characters doing different things that somehow inadvertently trips the other characters up. Overall, I rate the movie as better than the final episode, but worse than every other episode of the show.

Where? It disappeared from theatrical release last year so quickly, I don't think it even got a release in most major markets (certainly not in mine, or anywhere else I know of in the Great Lakes). Is it out on video...or is it playing currently on cable?

Bob Smith, afternoons WXXI-AM 1370, Rochester NY

Bob Smith asked about Sour Grapes: <<<<<<Where? It disappeared from theatrical release last year so quickly, I don't think it even got a release in most major markets (certainly not in mine, or anywhere else I know of in the Great Lakes). Is it out on video...or is it playing currently on cable?>>>>>>

It's been available on home video for about three months now. It played either on Showtime or Cinimax one night last week.

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<<>I saw Larry David's film "Sour Grapes" >last week

Where? It disappeared from theatrical release last year so quickly, I don't think it even got a release in most major markets (certainly not in mine, or anywhere else I know of in the Great Lakes). Is it out on video...or is it playing currently on cable?

I saw it on cable. It was on Showtime and it is supposed to be on again. Check your local listings. I thought it was a pretty decent movie.

Erin

I caught it on Pay-Per-View a few months ago...talk about your movie stinkers...one of the worst films I ever saw...and I'm a movie critic...sort of.

Talk1370 wrote in message news:[email]...

On DVD. It got slammed by the critics and so it never got a wide distribution when it was released theatrically but its now out on video. Although its only a fair comedy (but not one of the worst movies ever, as some critics have claimed), I think any Seinfeld fan should see it if only for the strong similarities to the show.

The study of "Seinfeld" in detail is so far endlessly fascinating.

  Larry David particularly.   I have spent some time looking over Larry David's
scripts,  and many others at different points in the show's evolution.  The
David scripts seem to have a signature minimalism-  despite the unprecedented
pace (i.e. sheer number of scenes per episode) as compared to the later stuff
by writers like Ferensten for example-   who's scripts became far more
extravagant in scope ( while staying within the show's distinctive style,  and
obeying its unique history).
      It's almost like David layed the blueprint, and the Harvard Mafia and
others who came later ran with it-  and ran and ran like nobody ever ran
before.
       My point is-  maybe we shouldn't  necessarily be expecting too much
these days from Mr. David -or in the future for that matter.    "The Finale",
and his feature effort seem to indicate so.  It may be his prime was those
halcyon years in the early '90s.   Perhaps he should retire and become a patron
for up and comers in his field.

Bob Dylan had only three years of prime productivity. They can nail Shakespeare's best work to a similarly certain period too.

Oh- and a post script---- I do think David and Jerry's contribution to situation comedy was mostly pace and density- a high scene count per episode. They like to take credit for scope -that is they went all over town- but Cheers pioneered well into that territory. The other signal contribution was intelligence and subtlty- they gave their audience credit- and were repayed massively by those "masses".

TSMR7 wrote:

They also told their stories well and told stories about the things that mattered to the generations that watched them. They were true to character's archetypes (like Lucas is - he is the master at it). It was later, when Larry left the stories became less directed without solid basis in human experience - some people find that funny but it is more silly than funny. The earlier episodes were more poignant and based on relationships rather than events. ... But then again I could be wrong.

stories became less directed without solid basis in human experience - some people find that funny but it is more silly than funny. The earlier episodes were more poignant and based on relationships rather than events.

You may be right.