Whatever Works (2009)

Whatever Works features a character who keeps turning away from the people in his world and directly addressing the audience. It's something you just don't find all that often in films today—and probably for good reason. The breaking of the 4th wall provides grand opportunity for awkward corniness. Not to mention it messes with the whole suspension of disbelief thing.

But the main character of this feature, Boris Yellnikoff (Yes, he does yell.), is so disenchanted with the people around him that, even though he tries to talk to the others, he really has no one else to turn to besides the audience. Plus, I guess it wouldn't be a Woody Allen comedy/commentary without something off-kilter like that. Larry David, who is well known for playing disgruntled and bitter, easily yammers on in the role of Boris.

He's a former physicist who almost won the Nobel Prize. One day he finds former southern beauty pageant contestant Melodie sleeping outside his door. He agrees to let her stay while she tries to get on her feet in New York and meanwhile pushes his views on relationships, religion, and existence in general into her incredibly impressionable brain. Evan Rachel Wood takes a refreshing change for her usual rebel roles to play Melodie although oftentimes her performance runs along the borderline of just plain silly. Eventually, Melodie's parents come looking for her and that's when Patricia Clarkson glides in, takes charge of the film, and completely steals it right through the end.

It's definitely not Allen's best, but it's amusing enough if you forget about that suspension of disbelief thing and just listen.

Rating: 3/5
Recommended for: Anyone wondering what Woody Allen's been thinking about lately.