Movie Review-Whatever Works (Guest Blogger Jules Forde)

Ehem...Hi, my name is Jules, and I'll be taking over for Andra in today's review of Woody Allen's comedy Whatever Works starring Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood. You may be asking yourself Tom, what is this guy doing writing for Andra's blog? I mean its Andra effing Hale, well the answer to that folks is two fold. First I have seen a substantial amount more Woody Allen movies than Andra and am more adept to his writing and directorial stylings adding more depth and context than Andra's feable microb brain can begin to comprehend. Second, there are 2 black people in the whole movie for a grand total of about 10 seconds which makes it damn near impossible for Andra to write his review without spiraling into a Mel Gibson-like anti-semetic tirade. So, now let's get to the review shall we?

PLOT:

Boris is a near Noble level physicist whose misanthropy after years of a loveless marriage and a self imposed sense of intellectual entitlement leads him to jump out of his New York City apartment only to bounce off a canopy thus ruining his plans of suicide. A few years and a divorce after the leap, we find Boris as callous as ever when he meets Melodie an 21 year old vagabond straight off the bus from Mississippi. She begs him to let her stay at his apartment which he eventually succumbs to her persuasion. Over the next couple months the two develop a friendship which very suddenly turns into a marriage. Things start to get really interesting when Melodie's parents from Mississippi try to track her down but end up happy victims of the cultural power of the big apple. The rest of the movie begins to explore the boundaries of religion, philosophy and of course relationships.

PROS:

I really enjoyed watching this movie. It posses that classic Woody Allen cynical style writing where its the main character against the world who eventually begins to understand the value of humanism. The writing is probably the best part of the film. The dialogue is smart, hilarious, and creates characters that are at times both detestable and loveable. The only draw back to the writing is the plot gets kind of predictable after a while, but you're so busy laughing you don't really care. Now when Woody Allen directs a movie in New York you pretty much know exactly what shots to expect. Notice his directing changes styles particularly when he goes abroad(ie Match Point or Vicky Christina Barcelona). Anyway if you've ever seen a Woody Allen movie you know you're probably gonna see what seem like improvised scenes between 2 or sometimes more characters, there will be at least one scene in a deli, about 70% of the movie will take place on NYC streets, and you're gonna hear a lot of good jazz. Now just because it's cliché Woody doesn't mean it's not good. Quite the contrary, in fact it harkens back to the appeal of some of his earlier comedies better than some of his more recent comedic tries. On top of the great script, Woody had a great cast to work with. The only real weak link acting wise was Larry David, who is still hilarious and does an adequate job, but the problem is you're trying to picture Larry David as a genius and it just never clicks. Even Rachel Wood is practically unrecognizable for her first 3 or 4 scenes as the naïve yet clever Melodie, the catalyst for everything going on the upswing for Boris. The rest of the cast is superb though slightly under-used.

CONS:

The film does have its flaws. It is pretty predictable after a certain point, though granted when you're first introduced to each character you really can't forsee where they end up. After a while you can start to see the patterns their lives begin to mold into. Also if you're looking for just a mindless blow things up with complete randomness movie than this certainly is not your cup of tea. In fact despite his ability to create characters that are easily identifiable it takes a certain breed to really appreciate your average Woody Allen movie. Not to insult my idiot brethren, but you do have to have an appreciation for the liberal intellectual perspective to really connect with a Woody Allen movie. So its not really for everybody.

Recommendation:

4/5 Thumbs up (don't ask why I have 5 hands) aka. Rent It

Written by:

Woody Allen

Directed by:

Woody Allen

MAIN CAST:

Larry David (TVs "Seinfeld", TVs "Curb Your Enthusiasm")

Evan Rachel Wood ("The Wrestler", "Across the Universe")

Ed Begley Jr. (TVs "St. Elsewhere", "Pineapple Express")

Michael McKeon ("Spinal Tap", "A Mighty Wind")

Patricia Clarkson ("Green Mile", "Lars and the Real Girl")

Henry Cavill ("Count of Monte Cristo", "Tristan + Isolde")

Olek Krupa ("Blue Streak", "The Italian Job")

Christopher Van Welch ("War of the Worlds", "The Good Shepard")

Conleth Hill

Similar Titles:

Something's Gotta Give, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

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