Review of Whatever Works (2009) by Mike M — 25 Jun 2010
This film felt moribund and came across as a near flatline in Woody Allen's prolonged career twilight. The characters and set-ups felt a little more contrived than usual and the clearly punctuated morals felt somewhat glib.
Hardly any of the jokes landed (although to be fair there were a few that did). Breaking the fourth wall was a nice touch and handled well. The performances were generally OK (given the constraints of the unexpectedly clumsy and somewhat uneven writing) and Larry David made perhaps the best Woody Allen stand-in yet.
This felt like a distinctly average movie at best and another disappointment in Woody Allen's career. On the one hand it may be better for him to stop than tar the memory of the some of the out-and-out classics that it's getting harder and harder to remember, but on the other it could just be possible that there's another Vicky Christina Barcelona around the corner.
This review of Whatever Works (2009) was written by Mike M on 25 Jun 2010.
Whatever Works has generally received positive reviews.
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