Review of Whatever Works (2009) by Marcus F — 18 Apr 2010
Sorry for the pun, but "Whatever Works", the latest film from iconic writer/director Woody Allen, almost doesn't. I think that it's better than the Tomatometer Critics think it is (it's at 47% on the Tomatometer), mainly because Larry David, the star of the funny TV show "Curb Your Enthusiasm", is so darn good as Boris, a sarcastic and mean-spirited genius who goes on one rant after another about what he doesn't like about the world. Apparently he can see us too, since he constantly breaks the fourth wall.
Evan Rachel Wood does the best that she can with the underwritten role of Melody, a homeless but gorgeous Southerner with an irritating Louisiana accent and not much going on upstairs. Boris, who's divorced and lives alone in his spacious apartment, reluctantly takes her in. Patricia Clarkson also does the best that she can with the underwritten role of Melody's mother, a devout Christian who ends up...well let's just say that any chance that she had of going to heaven is pretty much obliterated by the end of the film.
"Whatever Works" is at its best when it focuses on Larry David's character. He's mean, vile, cruel, and an incredible jerk but he's also incredibly funny, especially when he comments on the crazy things that are going on around him. Are some of his rants (he has about 10 of them) funnier than others? Absolutely, but I laughed out loud about 5 times in this movie and they all came from Larry David.
As for the rest of the film, everything feels underdeveloped. Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Clarkson, and Ed Begley Jr. (who plays Melody's father) are all doing their best to create fully developed, three-dimensional characters from underwritten stereotypes. The film is predictable, the relationships between the characters (mainly Wood and David) are underdeveloped, and the movie goes incredibly soft and sappy at the end.
So why do I like this movie in spite of itself? Because David and Allen make this film funny enough for me to tolerate its problems.
This review of Whatever Works (2009) was written by Marcus F on 18 Apr 2010.
Whatever Works has generally received positive reviews.
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