Dvd
Whatever Works
Woody Allen's latest comedy stars Curb Your Enthusiasm's Larry David as an eccentric New Yorker who abandons his upper class life to lead a bohemian existence. He meets a young girl from the south (Evan Rachel Wood) and her highly religious parents (Patricia Clarkson and Ed Begley Jr.) and no two people seem to get along in the entanglements that follow.
Starring Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Clarkson, Ed Begley Jr., Michael McKean
Directed by Woody Allen ('Vicky Cristina Barcelona', 'Match Point', 'Manhattan', 'Annie Hall')
Written by Woody Allen
Romance, Comedy | 1hr 32mins | Rated (M) | contains sexual references | Origin: USA, France | NZ Distributor: Sony Pictures | Official Site »
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The Talk
1 votes / No comments
Flicks review
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2
The script for this film was composed way back in the seventies when director Woody Allen was by his own admission making self-consciously funny movies. Unfortunately for him, this one doesn’t live up to those boasts, no matter how long the project has been simmering on the creative backburner.
Larry David, of Curb Your Enthusiasm fame, stars in a lead role reminiscent of that show’s character. Having such an obvious point of comparison only serves to highlight the weaknesses in the film. The vintage Allen-styled humour feels forced and clumsy in comparison to the TV show and the cast is a rogue’s gallery of flawed individuals with overwritten dialogue instead of organically occurring comedic moments.
Perhaps most shockingly of all, Allen, after a long stretch making films in Europe, seems to have lost his penchant for glamorising New York on screen. His previous romanticism for the city of which he became cinematic laureate has been replaced with a sterile polish that is technically sound but fails to fire the imagination like his best work does.
The whole piece has an upbeat, lively approach that sustains interest and works towards what turns out to be a pretty effective ending, so it isn’t all bad. It probably isn’t going to convert Woody Allen many new fans though.SHARE:
The people's reviews
3 reviews
Press Reviews
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Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Yellnikoff, played with perfect pitch by Larry David.
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Hollywood Reporter
Features enough genuine laughs to give it decent commercial traction.
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NZ Herald (Peter Calder)
4
Highly entertaining.
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Time Magazine
No kidding: this is the feel-good movie of the year and a cinematic soul massage.
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Variety (USA)
This far-fetched, deliberately artificial game of musical chairs -- in which mismatched characters encircle, attract and repel each other -- feels forced, often losing itself in excess verbiage.
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