One of Hollywood's favorite Director's is Woody Allen, seldom does he not make a movie that he is not in, the ones that he decides to stay behind the camera are better then those that he makes a cameo in or is a star of. Match Point and Cassandra's Dream were good pictures, while Small Time Crooks was horrendous. Although it started out good it quickly went down the drain. Now Allen gives us "Whatever Works" and even though he isn't in the movie, his lead actor could be him, and all too often leaves you thinking that if you close your eyes it would be him.
Boris (Larry David) is a a bitter New York native, who rants all day long to the few friends he does have, even the few audience members that stuck around long enough for the movie to end. Movies that have the star talk directly to the audience routinely are as bad as they sound, Whatever Works finds itself by not taking itself to seriously. Once we get to meet Boris it seems as if the movie will drag itself right into the gutter, and speaking of gutters that's where Boris finds the best thing in this movie, naive Mississippi runaway, Melodie St. Ann Celestine (Evan Rachel Wood) who as the film goes on becomes not only a friend to Boris, but a disciple. Melodie starts to believe what Boris says and even changes her own opinion to match his. Several of Boris' friends can't believe he has taken in a runaway, they ask him if the sex is good. his reply is at first to them but soon Boris is just talking to the audience watching the movie. Joe (Michael McKean) is one of Boris' best friends but he is the first to tell him he is making a mistake.
Of course the inevitable happens and Boris begins to fall in love with Melodie and when her mother Marietta (Patricia Clarkson) finds her, she is of course offended by Boris and does everything she can to find Melodie a younger boyfriend, Randy James (Henry Cavill). Then of course she meets friends of Boris' and begins to change herself, she becomes freer, she sleeps with not one but two men, she begins to paint as well. This leads to of course the entrance of another character John (Ed Begley Jr.). John is Melodies father and is searching for Marietta. He of course has been the cause of Marietta's heartbreak, he ran off with another woman, but discovers later that he is gay. When Melodie tells Boris that she wants to be with Randy, Boris jumps out the window, for the second time. Boris lands on Helena (Jessica Hecht), breaking her leg, he nurses her back to health and the fall in love. The ending is typical Woody Allen, everyone is happy and together, Boris and Helena, Melodie and Randy, John and his new lover and Marietta and her new lovers, all happily together under one roof.
I give Whatever Works a 3 and on my avoidance scale a 1, this movie will be out on video so fast that it will be worth the short wait, the list of other movies to see right now is longer then the time this movie will spend in the theatres. The movie does grow on you though, even with Larry David talking to us as if we were a part of his diatribe.
Whatever Works is rated PG-13 for Sexual Situations including Dialogue, Brief Nude Images and Thematic Material
Running time is 1hr. 32 mins.
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