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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Woody Allen's cynical sensibility so superbly dovetails with Larry David's acerbic misanthropy, it's a wonder they haven't worked together before. But no matter: fans of Allen, David, and especially David's Curb Your Enthusiasm will delight in the ability of Whatever Works to find humor in the darkest and most abrasive of life's corners.
The crux of this odd love story involves the unlikely friendship between David's character (the brilliant, kvetchy Boris) and the Southern beauty queen with a heart of gold and a brain of wide-open spaces, Melodie (the always-surprising Evan Rachel Wood). Boris takes on Melodie as a tutorial project, showing her the bleak ways of the world, and Melodie takes care of Boris with crayfish and Fred Astaire movies. There are other memorable performances by Patricia Clarkson, as Melodie's deeply religious and tightly wound mama, and Ed Harris, as her husband, a Southerner slightly to the right of George Wallace. The parents come to the big city to reclaim their wayward lamb, and when the Southerners meet the New Yorkers, sparks fly--in ways both good and slightly scary.
The film works because of the unlikely chemistry between the two stars and because of David's unflinchingly dyspeptic portrayal, which--while not exactly cozy to watch--is undeniably brilliant. The two find that their oddball friendship helps each of them find a little more meaning in their lives. "Whatever works"--a simple but profound recipe for happiness. --A.T. Hurley
The crux of this odd love story involves the unlikely friendship between David's character (the brilliant, kvetchy Boris) and the Southern beauty queen with a heart of gold and a brain of wide-open spaces, Melodie (the always-surprising Evan Rachel Wood). Boris takes on Melodie as a tutorial project, showing her the bleak ways of the world, and Melodie takes care of Boris with crayfish and Fred Astaire movies. There are other memorable performances by Patricia Clarkson, as Melodie's deeply religious and tightly wound mama, and Ed Harris, as her husband, a Southerner slightly to the right of George Wallace. The parents come to the big city to reclaim their wayward lamb, and when the Southerners meet the New Yorkers, sparks fly--in ways both good and slightly scary.
The film works because of the unlikely chemistry between the two stars and because of David's unflinchingly dyspeptic portrayal, which--while not exactly cozy to watch--is undeniably brilliant. The two find that their oddball friendship helps each of them find a little more meaning in their lives. "Whatever works"--a simple but profound recipe for happiness. --A.T. Hurley
Product Description
Directed by Woody Allen, Whatever Works explores the relationship between a crotchety misanthrope, Boris (Larry David) and a na‹ve, impressionable young runaway from the south, Melody (Evan Rachel Wood). When Melody's uptight parents arrive in New York to rescue her, they are quickly drawn into wildly unexpected romantic entanglements. Everyone discovers that finding love is just a combination of lucky chance and appreciating the value of "whatever works."
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
72 of 81 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
After a string of movies set in Europe, Woody Allen triumphantly returns to his beloved New York for Whatever Works. Since Allen releases a new film each year, it's hit-or-miss with him (rightfully so). This film got less-than-enthusiastic reviews and, as such, I wasn't expecting much from it...But the critics really misrepresented this film, as this is one of Woody's best comedies.
Larry David (of Curb Your Enthusiasm fame) plays Boris Yellnikoff, a caustic, retired physicist who walks with a limp due to a failed suicide attempt. Now, Boris teaches chess to "zombie-minded imbeciles." Evan Rachel Wood plays Melodie, a naďve runaway from Mississippi, who stumbles into Boris' life...Against all odds, the two marry and Melodie's parents (played wonderfully by Patricia Clarkson and Ed Begley, Jr.) both, separately, find her.
I'm not familiar with Larry David's previous work, so I don't know how much of this performance carries over from his own persona; but David is playing the Woody Allen role here to perfection. David perfectly captures the neurotic, arrogant genius that is Boris and recites Allen's dialogue as if it comes straight from his own thoughts. Of course, this is a film filled with great performances as can be expected from a film by Woody Allen. Begley, Jr. is particularly surprising as Melodie's father...And while some may not be too impressed by Wood's performance as Melodie, she's very convincing and cute.
This is truthfully one of Allen's best comedies and an all-around great film. The dialogue here is typical, philosophical, sarcastic Allen...But it doesn't just elicit chuckles, but full-on, laugh-out-loud laughter. It's a very intelligent film that not ONLY ranks as one of Allen's best comedies, but one of his best films. I don't see how this film has not received the amount of praise it deserves, because I clearly saw something all the critic's didn't. While the past few years have shown a return to form for Allen, this film stands as a terrific achievement in the Allen catalogue. It's quite honestly one of the best films I've seen this year and it's not to be missed.
GRADE: A
Larry David (of Curb Your Enthusiasm fame) plays Boris Yellnikoff, a caustic, retired physicist who walks with a limp due to a failed suicide attempt. Now, Boris teaches chess to "zombie-minded imbeciles." Evan Rachel Wood plays Melodie, a naďve runaway from Mississippi, who stumbles into Boris' life...Against all odds, the two marry and Melodie's parents (played wonderfully by Patricia Clarkson and Ed Begley, Jr.) both, separately, find her.
I'm not familiar with Larry David's previous work, so I don't know how much of this performance carries over from his own persona; but David is playing the Woody Allen role here to perfection. David perfectly captures the neurotic, arrogant genius that is Boris and recites Allen's dialogue as if it comes straight from his own thoughts. Of course, this is a film filled with great performances as can be expected from a film by Woody Allen. Begley, Jr. is particularly surprising as Melodie's father...And while some may not be too impressed by Wood's performance as Melodie, she's very convincing and cute.
This is truthfully one of Allen's best comedies and an all-around great film. The dialogue here is typical, philosophical, sarcastic Allen...But it doesn't just elicit chuckles, but full-on, laugh-out-loud laughter. It's a very intelligent film that not ONLY ranks as one of Allen's best comedies, but one of his best films. I don't see how this film has not received the amount of praise it deserves, because I clearly saw something all the critic's didn't. While the past few years have shown a return to form for Allen, this film stands as a terrific achievement in the Allen catalogue. It's quite honestly one of the best films I've seen this year and it's not to be missed.
GRADE: A
23 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Woody Allen has been a very lucky director in the history of Cinema. I can't think of any other director - with the exception, maybe, of Spielberg - that can still do "his" movies, even if they don't continuously make money. Indeed, with Allen you never know -- he can equally have a hit or a miss, but he still gets financing for his ideas. His latest, "Whatever Works," I am happy to say, is a hit. Actually more than a hit: a treasure. One the best films I have seen in a long time. It is smart and wicked, with great dialogue and very funny --Woody Allen's funny, that is, if you know what I mean: just plain good acting and inspired writing.
Boris Yellnikoff (Larry David) describes himself as a "profound, sensitive soul, with an enormous grasp of the human condition," who always has nightmares about Joseph Conrad's "the horror." He is a brilliant man, who doesn't hesitate to refer to himself as a genius - he is a physicist, who specializes in Quantum mechanics. And he may be right. However, due to the nature of his character and personality, he is not easy to live with. He is divorced, and walks with a limb, because he tried to kill himself by jumping from a window. He earns a living by teaching kids how to play chess (insulting and degrading them), and getting together with his equally intellectual buddies, who patiently hear his rants about the decline of mankind. He claims that he spends his time "trying to express to cretins that, while a black man got into the White House, he still can't get a cab in New York." However, his structured life drastically changes when he meets Melodie (Evan Rachel Wood), a runaway that asked for his help at his doorstep, because she had nowhere to go. He reluctantly accepts, and invites her to stay for a couple of days. Of course, love blossoms, and despite their age and intellectual difference - he is much older and smarter than her -, they eventually get married. They actually live happily ever after - that is, until Marietta (Patricia Clarkson), Melodie's mother, suddenly comes into the picture.
"Whatever Works" functions at every level. It is original and hilarious, with Woody Allen providing evidence that he is still the best smart comedy writer that there is. It would not be a mistake to say that it probably captures Woody's inner feelings and current state of mind, which are summed up in one of the lines of the film: "In the end, the romantic aspirations of your youth are reduced to whatever works." In addition, it is also a subliminal critique to the right-wing mentality that permeates part of our culture. A comedy masterpiece. (USA / France, 2009, color, 92 mins).
Reviewed on October 27, 2009 by Eric Gonzales from [...]
Boris Yellnikoff (Larry David) describes himself as a "profound, sensitive soul, with an enormous grasp of the human condition," who always has nightmares about Joseph Conrad's "the horror." He is a brilliant man, who doesn't hesitate to refer to himself as a genius - he is a physicist, who specializes in Quantum mechanics. And he may be right. However, due to the nature of his character and personality, he is not easy to live with. He is divorced, and walks with a limb, because he tried to kill himself by jumping from a window. He earns a living by teaching kids how to play chess (insulting and degrading them), and getting together with his equally intellectual buddies, who patiently hear his rants about the decline of mankind. He claims that he spends his time "trying to express to cretins that, while a black man got into the White House, he still can't get a cab in New York." However, his structured life drastically changes when he meets Melodie (Evan Rachel Wood), a runaway that asked for his help at his doorstep, because she had nowhere to go. He reluctantly accepts, and invites her to stay for a couple of days. Of course, love blossoms, and despite their age and intellectual difference - he is much older and smarter than her -, they eventually get married. They actually live happily ever after - that is, until Marietta (Patricia Clarkson), Melodie's mother, suddenly comes into the picture.
"Whatever Works" functions at every level. It is original and hilarious, with Woody Allen providing evidence that he is still the best smart comedy writer that there is. It would not be a mistake to say that it probably captures Woody's inner feelings and current state of mind, which are summed up in one of the lines of the film: "In the end, the romantic aspirations of your youth are reduced to whatever works." In addition, it is also a subliminal critique to the right-wing mentality that permeates part of our culture. A comedy masterpiece. (USA / France, 2009, color, 92 mins).
Reviewed on October 27, 2009 by Eric Gonzales from [...]
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
The story contains so many improbable elements, that it makes the movie almost unwatchable. The movie is random garbage
October 12, 2010
Format:DVD
WHATEVER WORKS is a drama taking place in a middle-class residential neighborhood in New York City, complete with Jewish delicatessens and art galleries. This type of neighborhood is familiar to me, as I have toured the SoHo district in lower Manhattan many times. Because the story took place in lower Manhattan, the movie was continually fascinating to me. The film takes place in the present day, that is, circa 2009.
In brief, a runaway girl materializes on the doorstep of a retired physics professor. The professor is a confirmed curmudgeon and, to some extent, a misanthrope. His manner of speech takes the form of amusing 1-liners, regarding the fruitlessness of human society. The professor takes the girl in, and she lives with him, and they have a sort of father/daughter relationship. Over the course of weeks, the girl adopts the same speech patterns as the professor, and she spews out the same amusing 1-liners about the futility of human society. The girl's father and mother, both devoted Christians, split up prior to the girl's running away from home. The problem was that the father was having an affair with another woman.
The girl is from the American South, and prefers Louisiana-style cooking, and has a southern accent. About half-way into the movie, the girl's mother materializes at the front door of the professor's house. Unexpectedly, the mother quickly adopts to the lifestyle of New York City, and her collection of casual family snapshots is "discovered" by an art critic, and the mother has an art exhibition in a gallery (not an exhibition in a mere coffeeshop). (The fact that the mother, a mere picture-taker, has an exhibit at an art gallery, is a slap in the face to any person who has really had a 1-person show in a recognized art gallery.) Also, the mother acquires two boyfriends. One of the boyfriends is a middle-aged man who is a philosophy professor, and the 3 of them sleep together. Thus, the storyline is utterly bizarre. It is not art. It is not entertainment. It is not creative. It is not interesting. It is just random garbage.
Towards the end of the movie, the girl's father materializes at the front door of the professor's house. He also, came is search of the runaway daughter. As the man's character develops, during the remaining thirty or so minutes of the film, he discovers that he is really gay, and he quickly develops a gay relationship with a man he finds in a tavern. But again, this makes the storyline too disjointed. The storyline goes "off-topic" too often in this movie.
On the plus side, the actress playing the girl is abundantly easy on the eye. But on the minus side, WHATEVER WORKS is fraught with improbabilities. First of all, it is not often that an astonishingly beautiful girl shows up on a man's doorsteps, as a runaway. Second, it is not often that a 20-year old girl marries a 70-year old man who is a retired professor (this is what happens in WHATEVER WORKS). Third, it is not often that a southern housewife is promoted as a photographer, on the basis of her "portfolio" of casual family snapshots, and has a photography exhibit at a lower Manhattan art gallery. Fourth, it is not often that a physics professor tries twice to commit suicide (this is what happens in WHATEVER WORKS). To summarize, this movie consists of a re-cycling of things that Woody Allen likes and finds dear (younger girlfriends, New York City art galleries, talking about excessively personal hang-ups in ordinary conversations). We have seen the same themes, again and again, since the 1970s in Woody Allen movies. The contrived marriage of the 70-year old man with the 20-year old girl, obviously mirrors Woody Allen's own marriage to his step-daughter (Soon-Yi) who is thirty years younger than himself.
WHATEVER WORKS could be the very best of all of the Woody Allen films that utilize the above collection of themes. But on the other hand, what prevents this movie from having much more value than a typical made-for-TV movie, is that fact that it consists of a studied melange of incoherent and incompatible things, squeezed and forced together, into a single storyline.
(Also, this movie is NOT a comedy. There is nothing here to make you laugh. The movie is merely amusing.)
Perhaps the only believable part of WHATEVER WORKS, is the professor's schmoozing with his friends, at a sidewalk coffeeshop. In fact, if the entire movie had taken place on the sidewalk table, at the coffeeshop, documented the conversations of three mature men, I might have given the film FIVE STARS. To emphasize this point, if this movie was more like, MY DINNER WITH ANDRE, then that would have been fine with me.
The star of this movie is Mr. Larry David. Mr. David is one of the most successful people in the history of Hollywood, having been one of the founders of the SEINFELD show, and having written 62 episodes of SEINFELD. But in my opinion, even if the cast consists of seven Academy Award winners, it cannot convert such a bizarre, improbable, contrived script into a watchable film. Basically that is my point -- the movie WHATEVER WORKS borders on being unwatchable.
In brief, a runaway girl materializes on the doorstep of a retired physics professor. The professor is a confirmed curmudgeon and, to some extent, a misanthrope. His manner of speech takes the form of amusing 1-liners, regarding the fruitlessness of human society. The professor takes the girl in, and she lives with him, and they have a sort of father/daughter relationship. Over the course of weeks, the girl adopts the same speech patterns as the professor, and she spews out the same amusing 1-liners about the futility of human society. The girl's father and mother, both devoted Christians, split up prior to the girl's running away from home. The problem was that the father was having an affair with another woman.
The girl is from the American South, and prefers Louisiana-style cooking, and has a southern accent. About half-way into the movie, the girl's mother materializes at the front door of the professor's house. Unexpectedly, the mother quickly adopts to the lifestyle of New York City, and her collection of casual family snapshots is "discovered" by an art critic, and the mother has an art exhibition in a gallery (not an exhibition in a mere coffeeshop). (The fact that the mother, a mere picture-taker, has an exhibit at an art gallery, is a slap in the face to any person who has really had a 1-person show in a recognized art gallery.) Also, the mother acquires two boyfriends. One of the boyfriends is a middle-aged man who is a philosophy professor, and the 3 of them sleep together. Thus, the storyline is utterly bizarre. It is not art. It is not entertainment. It is not creative. It is not interesting. It is just random garbage.
Towards the end of the movie, the girl's father materializes at the front door of the professor's house. He also, came is search of the runaway daughter. As the man's character develops, during the remaining thirty or so minutes of the film, he discovers that he is really gay, and he quickly develops a gay relationship with a man he finds in a tavern. But again, this makes the storyline too disjointed. The storyline goes "off-topic" too often in this movie.
On the plus side, the actress playing the girl is abundantly easy on the eye. But on the minus side, WHATEVER WORKS is fraught with improbabilities. First of all, it is not often that an astonishingly beautiful girl shows up on a man's doorsteps, as a runaway. Second, it is not often that a 20-year old girl marries a 70-year old man who is a retired professor (this is what happens in WHATEVER WORKS). Third, it is not often that a southern housewife is promoted as a photographer, on the basis of her "portfolio" of casual family snapshots, and has a photography exhibit at a lower Manhattan art gallery. Fourth, it is not often that a physics professor tries twice to commit suicide (this is what happens in WHATEVER WORKS). To summarize, this movie consists of a re-cycling of things that Woody Allen likes and finds dear (younger girlfriends, New York City art galleries, talking about excessively personal hang-ups in ordinary conversations). We have seen the same themes, again and again, since the 1970s in Woody Allen movies. The contrived marriage of the 70-year old man with the 20-year old girl, obviously mirrors Woody Allen's own marriage to his step-daughter (Soon-Yi) who is thirty years younger than himself.
WHATEVER WORKS could be the very best of all of the Woody Allen films that utilize the above collection of themes. But on the other hand, what prevents this movie from having much more value than a typical made-for-TV movie, is that fact that it consists of a studied melange of incoherent and incompatible things, squeezed and forced together, into a single storyline.
(Also, this movie is NOT a comedy. There is nothing here to make you laugh. The movie is merely amusing.)
Perhaps the only believable part of WHATEVER WORKS, is the professor's schmoozing with his friends, at a sidewalk coffeeshop. In fact, if the entire movie had taken place on the sidewalk table, at the coffeeshop, documented the conversations of three mature men, I might have given the film FIVE STARS. To emphasize this point, if this movie was more like, MY DINNER WITH ANDRE, then that would have been fine with me.
The star of this movie is Mr. Larry David. Mr. David is one of the most successful people in the history of Hollywood, having been one of the founders of the SEINFELD show, and having written 62 episodes of SEINFELD. But in my opinion, even if the cast consists of seven Academy Award winners, it cannot convert such a bizarre, improbable, contrived script into a watchable film. Basically that is my point -- the movie WHATEVER WORKS borders on being unwatchable.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
brilliant
One of Woody Allen's best films, both amusing and philosophical , a good balance between light and dark. Read more
Published 16 days ago by Will O Wisp
5.0 out of 5 stars
FUNnY 2an intelligent human
Great movie.for people who enjoy an intelligent mind.not for people who don't like curb your enthusiasm.Larry David is refreshing....fun &clean movie. Read more
Published 1 month ago by franco.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great movie
Woody Allen is a genius and Larry David is secretly him! It's hilarious to see David playing an Allen part since even without this connection the two of them are very very alike. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Matt Schoen
5.0 out of 5 stars
I for one cannot get enough of Larry David and/or Woody Allen, so I am...
But that being said, the movie was great. Woody and Larry David express to a degree my perception of life as I know it. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Tony Travels
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hey, it is what it is.
The philosphy of Larry David's character, Boris, is very similar to my own. I find it funny to see him say the same things I say and get the same reactions in the film as I do in... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Matthew Furstenfeld
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great movie
Would have rated it higher if it didn't cost what it did. Really? $10 bucks for a movie is a bit much. Otherwise, I thought it was hilarious.
Published 3 months ago by John Taylor
4.0 out of 5 stars
This movie is an inside joke
Those who didn't care for this wonderfully entertaining movie must have missed the inside joke. The protagonist commented several times on the laws of probability and... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Patti Boeckman
2.0 out of 5 stars
Big bore
Not at all what I would expect from two of my favorite cineastes, Allen and David. I actually fell asleep.
Published 4 months ago by H. Rose
5.0 out of 5 stars
funny, witty and with a good existential take on life
An incredibly well thought out film that confirmed a long held conviction of mine about what is really important about life. What is really important about life? Read more
Published 5 months ago by Marco Carnovale
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic.
One of the best movies I have seen in a very long time. Woody Allen does it again. Add Larry David, how could you possibly go wrong?
Published 6 months ago by JillJill
