'Whatever Works' review Issue #40

Directed by Woody Allen

By Michelle Carlton
Published: June 1st, 2009 | 12:00pm

After shooting his last four films in Europe, Allen has come back to the Big Apple with a biting comedic vengeance. He and his latest star, Larry David, form a pair so perfect it’s a wonder they took this long to join forces.

David plays Boris, a crotchety man once considered for a Nobel Prize. After divorcing his wife and failing a suicide attempt, Boris meets Melodie, a cheerful, wide-eyed Southern runaway played by Evan Rachel Wood. The two begin an unlikely May-December relationship, which goes surprisingly well until Melodie’s conservative parents (Patricia Clarkson and Ed Begley, Jr.) arrive from Mississippi to rescue their little girl from the big city. But in a short time, they each find their own improbable romances and the family blends like chameleons into the metropolitan world around them.

The film’s title is also its moral: this world is a scary, messed-up place, so find whatever brings you happiness and stick with it. Whatever Works has everything an audience could want — a superb cast, poignant observations, and laugh-out-loud humor. In short, this is Allen at his best.