Sony Pictures | 2009 | 92 mins. | Rated PG-13
Woody Allen has been making films that run the gamut from dramas to screwball sex comedies for over forty years. While he usually took the lead roles in his projects, for the last decade or so, Allen has been happy to write the scripts and direct, while leaving the acting to others. While staying largely out of the public eye, Allen continues to release an average of one film a year, and attract big name talent despite limited budgets and spotty theatrical releases. Following Vicky Christina Barcelona, his biggest box office success in over a decade, which also netted an Oscar for Penelope Cruz, Allen, released Whatever Works, a comedy about life and, well, whatever works.
Boris Yellnikoff (Larry David), speaking to an audience only he can see, is only too happy to tell them why he’s so down on people. a misanthropic Manhattanite, Boris describes himself as a genius, a one-time “almost” award winner of a Nobel Prize in Physics, a refugee from a broken marriage, and a survivor of a suicide attempt. He’s now living downtown, offering chess lessons to kids; a vocation that gives him more aggravation than pay.
Boris, who also describes himself as not a particularly good person, clearly thrives on sharing his opinions with whoever will listen, and demeaning those he feels aren’t as smart as he is. Things begin to change when he returns home one day to find a 21-year-old Mississippi runaway, named Melodie St. Ann Celestine (Evan Rachel Wood) outside his door. Begging for food and shelter, Boris reluctantly lets the girl into his apartment. He decides to let her stay with him, and as the first month passes the living arrangement grows more comfortable. Melodie is able to find work as a dig walker, and even learns to tolerate Boris’ nightly panic attacks; Melodie begins to develop a crush on the much older man.
Eventually, she wins his heart—Melodie subscribes to everything he says—and the two decide to marry. This sets in motion a group of characters that have to learn to accept whatever works for them, as Boris and Melodie have. Eventually, Melodie’s conservative parents show up in New York City, separately. Both parents, John and Marietta (Ed Begley, Jr. and Patricia Clarkson), are appalled that their daughter has ended up with a guy like Boris.
But alas, whatever works. While in New York City, John and Marietta find themselves both going through major changes; exactly what, I won’t say, because it would ruin the last third of the film. Suffice to say though, that Boris remains the only person who doesn’t really change much at all in the end, and remains fairly closed off from any new experiences.
If Whatever Works has one major flaw, it’s that everything works to neatly for all the characters involved. Belief systems are altered very quickly to make everything work. As a result, some of the believability of the story goes out the window. Despite that, Woody Allen wrote a strong script, and both Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood deliver strong performances that make their characters come alive. In the end, Whatever Works is recommended viewing for all Woody Allen fans.
Whatever Works features a solid 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. A moderate-to-heavy layer of film grain accompanies the image throughout the entirety of the film. Whatever Works features several locations that greatly benefit under the 1080p spotlight. The fine details of the brick façades as seen outside the café in the early minutes of the film take on an altogether realistic appearance; the rough edges and mortar showcase a texture that almost begs to be touched. Likewise, the small details to be found throughout Boris’ apartment — chipped paint, dusty shelves, or scuff marks on a file cabinet, for instance — thrive in every scene. There is also a wonderful sense of depth to the image. Colors are very pleasing throughout; Black levels never present a problem, but flesh tones take on a bit of a red tint throughout.
Whatever Works features a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The soundtrack is dialogue-heavy, and features little-to-no surround activity. Dialogue reproduction is strong. The film’s score — a mixture of styles with heavy usage of Classical and Big Band with a sprinkling of more modern fl\are — sounds crisp, and clear across the entire dynamic range. Whatever Works sounds just fine for what it is and needs to be.
All that’s included is BD-Live functionality and 1080p trailers for Whatever Works and An Education.
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