Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Whatever Works explores the relationship between a crotchety misanthrope, Boris and a naïve, impressionable young runaway from the south, Melody. When Melody's uptight parents arrive in New York to rescue her, they are quickly drawn into wildly unexpected romantic entanglements. Everyone discovers that finding love is just a combination of lucky chance and appreciating the value of "whatever works."
Whatever Works is a late-period Woody Allen comedy that recycles many of his familiar New York intellectual misanthrope tropes, this time with Larry David essentially playing a grumpier version of Allen's usual surrogate. The plot is serviceable and occasionally charming, particularly in the parents' subplot, but the script feels like a dusted-off early draft rather than fresh material. Larry David is well-cast and brings genuine comic timing, while Evan Rachel Wood handles the naïve Southern girl role capably, though neither performance transcends the material. Cinematography is functional Manhattan filmmaking without particular visual ambition. Novelty is low — the film is deeply familiar Allen territory with few surprises in conception or execution, and the breaking-of-the-fourth-wall device feels underused. The ending wraps things up pleasantly enough in keeping with the film's easygoing philosophical thesis, but lacks any real punch or memorability.