Review of Whatever Works (2009) by Guilherme B — 01 Jun 2011

"Love, despite what they tell you, does not conquer all, nor does it even usually last. In the end the romantic aspirations of our youth are reduced to whatever works.".

Woody Allen's "Whatever Works" is quirky, eccentric, and darkly amusing, much like the filmmaker himself. Its hero is a brilliant but misanthropic physicist named Boris (Larry David), who has lost faith in humanity and mankind. "As a species," he says to his friends, "we are failures." He's sort of like the anti-Ferris Bueller. Like John Hughes' iconic creation, he often breaks the fourth wall and addresses the audience directly. But whereas the ever-optimistic Mr. Bueller's advice was always about seizing the day and grabbing life by the horns, Boris' pearls of widsom are a little more bleak and acerbic: namely, that life is mainly a waste of time, and we are mainly wastes of space, and we need to hold fast to whatever things we have in life that help us cope with this miserable existence. Whatever works, so to speak.

These viewpoints are firmly established in a fantastic opening monologue. Allen's dialogue is witty and biting, and David's delivery is superb. Anyone who has ever seen "Curb Your Enthusiasm" can attest to the fact that David's timing and comic delivery is impeccable, and he really makes Boris leap off the screen. The speaking to the audience is an interesting touch, especially when the other characters acknowledge it (When they remark that they don't see us--the audience--Boris looks at the camera and says, "See, I'm the only one who sees the whole picture. That's what they mean by 'genius.'").

One night Boris encounters Melody (Evan Rachel Wood), a runaway from the South, and despite his very vocal misgivings, he allows her to stay with him until she can find a job and lodgings. He finds that he begins to enjoy having her around; at first, it seems to be because he enjoys berating her. Melody is wide-eyed and innocent, exactly the type that Boris feels the most superior to (though he feels superior to everybody in some way). However, when it becomes apparent that the young girl is starting to take after him, he comes to realize that she actually makes him happy, or about as close to happy as a miserable human being like him could be. Wood is very funny in this role, both when she's being incredibly naive, and when she begins to share Boris' views of the world.

This eventually blossoms into a most atypical "romance," if that's even the right word, and things get complicated when Melody's parents (Patricia Clarkson and Ed Begley, Jr.) track her down. Things get even more complicated when the parents discover things about themselves they never knew, which is really kind of the theme of the movie. Ironic that, at the center of the characters' self-discovery, is Boris, a man who more-or-less wishes to remain a closed book ("I'm not a likable person," he even says at one point).

These characters are all interesting, which helps when the movie lags a bit in the middle section. And as engaging as the screenplay is, the story still feels a bit stretched, even at a brisk 92 minutes. There are also times when I couldn't help but feel the story would work better as a play, with a live action audience with whom Boris could interact. Even so, the characters are well-drawn out and well-acted, the dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny on occasion, and the movie does not overstay its welcome too much. It's worth checking out.

"That's why I can't say enough times, whatever love you can get and give, whatever happiness you can filch or provide, every temporary measure of grace, whatever works.".