Larry David is one of the prominent names in the entertainment world. His sitcom Seinfeld became a massive hit, and its re-runs are still watched in large numbers. Despite giving the iconic show like Seinfeld, the director’s first movie Sour Grapes completely bombed at the box office. The movie received very poor ratings by the critics and its Rotten Tomatoes score is also a mere 27 percent. The black comedy film comprised Craig Bierko And Steven Weber as the leads.
Craig Bierko And Steven Weber shared their thought on being part of the first-ever film by Larry David and also revealed the impact of its failure.
Craig Bierko And Steven Weber’s Thoughts Of Larry David’s Sour Grapes
Larry David’s feature film Sour Grapes was released in 1998 and made only $123K at the box office. Cinderella Man fame Craig Bierko, who played the lead in the film, told Cracked about his preparations for the auditions. He shared that he watched every episode of Jerry Seinfeld‘s starred show before his casting as he admired the work of David. He said,
“I really wanted this. For my audition, I was the second person in, and as soon as I started talking, Larry started laughing. I think it was me who was cast first because, when I heard they got Weber opposite me, I thought, ‘We’re fine.’ In 1990, I had done an episode of Wings, and I’d mostly hung out with him. So we knew each other, but more importantly, I knew he was someone who could work easily.”
The Perfection actor Steven Weber was stunned when he was told that he and Bierko were chosen for the leading roles in the film. He said,
“This being Larry David’s first project after Seinfeld, the script was being handed around to a lot of actors way bigger than Craig and I. The name Steve Martin came up and others like that who wanted these role.”
The actor felt the script of the movie was the recipe for box office success and was surprised on being chosen as lead for the show instead of some big names of the time. He said,
“I don’t know why they chose us. Maybe they did it because we were cheaper? Maybe it was less risky to have actors of less renown to tackle what was Larry’s first film? I’m just guessing, but I like to think we embodied whatever it is he wanted to do and I genuinely think his emphasis was on the material, rather than the name value of it. I also have to believe we were good enough to do what Larry wanted.”
Steven Weber played the role of Evan Maxwell In Sour Grapes.
Also read- Mind-Boggling Fan Theories About Your Favorite Sitcoms
Impact on Steven Weber And Craig Bierko’s Careers Due to Sour Grapes
The poor rating of the film was a bit of a surprise for the actors as they were quite confident while filming it. The film was created by the co-creator of Seinfeld’s show, therefore, the actors were sure of its success.
Craig Bierko shared with Cracked that their acting capabilities were judged because of the poor performance of the film. Weber added,
“They hammered us for that, which I thought was just lazy and facile,” Weber added. “There was still a divide back then between the TV and movie worlds. Ultimately, I do possess disappointment around this film and its lack of appreciation because it’s frustrating to be a part of something that was positive and fun, and funny, and for it to be invisible — it was kind of a drag. It was hard, but you move on. It wasn’t crippling.”
Bierko also shared with Cracked that he felt disappointed about the film and often wondered if he was the right fit for the cast. Overall, the movie did not impact the careers of the two actors. Both have played significant roles in some of the famous TV series.
Source- The Things
