Whatever Works

Starring: Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Clarkson, Ed Begley Jr.
Director: Woody Allen (Annie Hall, Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
Running Time: 1 hr 32 min
Release Date: June 19 (limited release)
Budget: $15 million
Critics’ Thumbs Up: 43%

“…a cinematic soul massage.” Richard Corliss, Time

“Whatever Works doesn’t.” Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

Allen once again explores the all too familiar theme of atypical romances between older men and much younger women in this sometimes funny but mostly predictable comedy. Curb Your Enthusiasm’s David plays Boris Yellnikoff, an unlikable curmudgeonly physicist perpetually annoyed at life’s stupidity, who engages in an unrealistic romance with Melody, a dimwitted, naïve teenage runaway from the South (Wood). Written in the ‘70s and using The Purple Rose of Cairo’s technique of character interaction with the audience, this would-be profound story of being happy with Whatever Works instead feels worn-out. Clarkson brings some much-needed spark as Melody’s equally dimwitted mother, but David and Wood can’t elevate beyond the one-dimensionality of their roles.