The movie Roger Ebert called “puckered, deflated and vinegary”
From the 1960s onwards, Roger Ebert was America’s most well-known movie critic, bringing a sense of effortless humour and honesty to his reviews. Famously outspoken, Ebert’s opinions often had a prominent impact on the success of the works he reviewed.
Ebert even had a go at writing films himself, but his screenplay Beyond the Valley of the Dolls was absolutely panned by critics, ironically. Luckily, it is now considered a campy cult classic. Despite his lack of apparent screenwriting talent, Ebert continued to be a successful reviewer, co-hosting various television shows about the latest movies over the years.
Ebert passed away in 2013, but he is remembered for his sharp wit and unforgiving reviews, with his website compiling a list of his ‘most hated’ movies. From Caligula to Freddy Got Fingered, Ebert has unleashed his ruthless opinions on many films.
Today, we’re going to spotlight his hatred for Larry David’s Sour Grapes, released in 1998. Known for creating some of the most revered sitcoms in television history – Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm – David made his debut feature with Sour Grapes. Unfortunately, David’s ideas didn’t translate as well onto the silver screen, and the movie was universally panned.
Ebert was one of the critics who absolutely detested the movie, branding it with one of his iconic thumbs-downs. Calling it “a comedy about things that aren’t funny,” Ebert added, “It reminded me of Crash, an erotic thriller about things no one finds erotic.”
The film critic’s main gripe was David’s inability to incorporate shocking subjects with the correct timing and delivery. According to Ebert, David “apparently thinks people are amused by cancer, accidental castration, racial stereotypes and bitter family feuds.” While Ebert believed that “all of those subjects could be incorporated into a great comedy,” he found David’s movie “tone-deaf.”
Sour Grapes starred Steven Weber and Craig Bierko as cousins who end up feuding over slot machine winnings after a trip to Atlantic City. The pair take things too far, and to Ebert, so does David. He described the film as “puckered, deflated and vinegary. It’s a dead zone.”
Criticising the performers, the music, the writing, the direction and the lack of genuine humour, Ebert truly reviled Sour Grapes – an opinion he wasn’t alone in holding. David even hates the film and has repeatedly joked about it in his meta sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm, which began shortly after the release of his terrible feature.
Ebert’s parting words were harsh: “The more I think of it, the more Sour Grapes really does resemble Crash (except that Crash was not a bad film). Both movies are like watching automobile accidents. Only one was intended to be.”
Watch the trailer for Sour Grapes below.
