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Whatever Works

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Whatever Works
Promotional film poster
Directed byWoody Allen
Written byWoody Allen
Produced byLetty Aronson
Stephen Tenenbaum
StarringLarry David
Evan Rachel Wood
Henry Cavill
Patricia Clarkson
Ed Begley Jr.
Michael McKean
CinematographyHarris Savides
Edited byAlisa Lepselter
Distributed bySony Pictures Classics
Release date
June 19, 2009 (limited)
Running time
92 minutes
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million
Box office$31,053,092[1]

Whatever Works is a 2009 comedy film directed and written by Woody Allen, starring Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Clarkson, Ed Begley, Jr., Michael McKean, and Henry Cavill.

Plot

Boris Yelnikoff (Larry David), an eccentric, misanthropic University of Chicago graduate and chess teacher, rants with his friends (Michael McKean, Adam Brooks, Lyle Kanouse) about politics and anthropology. He breaks the fourth wall and monologues to the audience explaining his life in recent years: A few years ago, he wakes up in the middle of the night with a panic attack and jumps out the window, but lands on a canopy and survives with only a marked limp. He soon divorces his wife (Carolyn McCormick) and virtually secludes himself from the world, criticizing everyone he meets for not having his level of intellect.

Years pass and Boris comes home one night to find Melodie, a simple-minded 21-year-old woman, (Evan Rachel Wood) lying on his doorstep. He reluctantly lets her in for a meal and soon she tells him her story that she ran away from her conservative Christian family in Mississippi. As she attempts to get to know him, he retaliates with sarcasm and insults. She asks if she can stay the night, which Boris eventually allows. For some time, and despite his friends' skepticism, Boris allows Melodie to stay with him until she can find a job and support herself. Boris and Melodie soon go to various landmarks of New York City, and Melodie continues to harbor a primarily optimistic view of things, in contrast to Boris’ pessimism. Melodie develops a crush on Boris based on his mentality and intellectual strength despite their 40 year age difference and their varying cultures and intelligence.

Melodie finds a job as a dog walker while still living with Boris. Out on the job, she meets Perry (John Gallagher Jr.) and they arrange a date. Boris tries to prove to Melodie that Perry is not good for her, but she goes out with him anyway. When she comes back home, she explains to Boris that she didn't like Perry because he loved everything in the world too much. Boris remains silent as she does this, before realising that he loves her. Despite her low intellect, Boris accepts Melodie's proposal and the next week, they're married. They continue on living in peaceful coexistence while Boris remains skeptical of the things she introduces to his life. After a year passes, her mother Marietta (Patricia Clarkson) finds Melodie, explaining that she and her husband John (Ed Begley Jr.) thought Melodie had been kidnapped. She goes on to tell her that she left John and sold all their wealth and property after John lost money in the stock market crash. Once she finishes explaining the story, she meets Boris and is disappointed with him. As Marietta and Melodie go sightseeing in various spots in New York City, she tries to convince Melodie to end her marriage, despite Melodie's insistence that she and Boris are in love. The three go for lunch at a restaurant and meet Boris' friend, Leo (Conleth Hill). As Marietta goes to use the restroom, Randy James (Henry Cavill) inquires about her daughter, stating that she captivates him. Marietta slyly decides to recruit him to end Melodie's marriage. Later that evening, Leo, who had taken an interest in Marietta, asks her over for dinner. They spend the evening together, and they both discover that she is a wonderful photographer and he even makes plans to contract her professionally. As the night continues, she becomes mildly intoxicated and they sleep together.

Boris explains to the audience that the next few weeks, Marietta changed and started experimenting in artistic photography, exotic drugs, and having a ménage à trois with Leo and his business partner, Morgenstern (Olek Krupa). Marietta still hates Boris and continues to arrange for Melodie to marry Randy. She takes her to an outdoor craft market and "accidentally" runs into Randy, who is buying her a silk handkerchief. He questions her about her marriage to Boris and once she realizes this is her mother's arrangement, Melodie informs him that she is happy with her marriage and leaves him behind. Later that day, Boris goes bike riding with Melodie and questions her about Randy’s handkerchief. She is later shopping for clothes when Randy has another planned encounter with her and gets her to admit that her relationship with Boris is not entirely satisfying. He invites her to the boat he lives on, and the two end up kissing and beginning an affair despite Melodie's judgement.

The next day, Melodie and Boris go to see Marietta's artwork at a gallery while Melodie is feeling guilty for her adulterous affair with Randy. When Boris asks her if she is OK, John arrives at the house after having searched for Melodie after Marietta left him. He shows up full of regret and hopes to get the family back together. They all go to the photography exhibit opening together, and he sees how his ex-wife has changed since she moved to New York. Distraught, he retreats to a bar, drinking away his misery. While there, he meets a recently divorced gay man named Howard (Christopher Evan Welch) who makes John realize that he is homosexual as well. The next day, Melodie sorrowfully tells Boris about her recent relationship with Randy. Boris is disheartened by this and states that he knew this day would come. Boris jumps out the window, but this time lands on Helena (Jessica Hecht) breaking her legs. As he visits her in the hospital, he asks her if there is anything he can do to make up with her, and Helena says she would like to go to dinner with Boris.

Finally, Boris hosts a New Year's Eve party, at which everyone is seen in their new relationships: Marietta with Leo and Morgenstern, John with Howard, Melodie with Randy, and finally Boris with Helena. They all kiss and Boris tells the audience that you just have to find all the enjoyment that you can, that you have to find "whatever works."

Cast

Release

On February 2, 2009, Variety reported that Sony Pictures Classics had purchased U.S. distribution rights to Whatever Works. Sony released the film on June 19, 2009 after it premiered on April 22, 2009, at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. Maple Pictures released the film in Canada theatrically and released the DVD in October 2009.

Production

The film was shot in New York City, marking Allen's return to his native city after a four-film sojourn in Europe.

Woody Allen has revealed that the script itself was written in the early '70s, with Zero Mostel in mind for Boris, but that the script was shelved after the actor's death in 1977. Thirty years later, Allen revisited the script in an attempt to create a film before a potential threat of a Screen Actors Guild strike. According to Allen, the only significant changes to the script involved updating the outdated social and political references.[2]

Reception

The film received mixed or average reviews from critics.[3] Rotten Tomatoes reported that 47% of critics gave positive reviews based on 103 reviews with an average score of 5.4/10.[4] Among Rotten Tomatoes' Cream of the Crop, which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television, and radio programs, the film holds an overall approval rating of 25% based on 31 reviews.[5] According to another review aggretator, Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 top reviews from mainstream critics, the film has an average score of 45% based on 30 reviews. The film has a high rating of 7.3 on IMDB.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Whatever Works (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-3-3. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ "Woody Allen, Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood & Others Discuss 'Whatever Works'". Starpulse Entertainment News. 2009-06-16. Retrieved 2009-06-19.
  3. ^ a b "Whatever Works (2009): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  4. ^ "Whatever Works Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-06-26.
  5. ^ "Whatever Works Movie Reviews, Pictures - Cream of the Crop". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-06-26.
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