Whatever Works (DVD)

Whatever Works is a darkly comic 2009 film written and directed by Woody Allen. The film features Curb Your Enthusiasm star Larry David as cranky Boris Yelnikoff, a former string-theory professor and all round neurotic curmudgeon who has a rather bleak view of life and doesn't suffer fools gladly. Boris breaks the fourth wall at the beginning of Whatever Works and dispenses a long monologue expressing his theories and thoughts on existence, human beings ("We're a failed species!") and his own recent experiences. "Incidentally," says Boris. "Don't think I'm bitter because of some personal setback. By the standards of a mindless, barbaric ...  Read the complete review

note: also appears in part on Flixster and The Student Room The second I heard that Woody Allen's next project was with Larry David, I knew that I HAD to see it; the two are comic geniuses, and I imagined that a pairing couldn't be anything but harmonious. While Allen's output this decade has been very spotty, this is not one of his worst efforts, even if it lacks the exotic charm of, say, Vicky Cristina Barcelona. The film's protagonist is Boris Yelnikoff (Larry David), a pHD physicist who is a forthright cynic, and when he one day allows a 21-year-old woman, (Evan Rachel Wood) who is sleeping rough, to clean up in his home, they become attached ...  Read the complete review

Boris Yellnikoff is an intensely neurotic intellectual who after trying to commit suicide decides to leave his wife and move to a small apartment and teach kids how to play chess. He has a relatively easy life, hanging out with friends while suffering the odd panic attack. One evening he finds Melodie (Evan Rachel Wood) asleep near his rubbish bins. After reluctantly letting her stay, they form an unlikely relationship - that is until Melodie's mother and father arrive on the scene. I've only ever seen a couple of episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm, so I'm not really that familiar with the work of Larry David. I'm not quite sure then whether his portrayal here ...  Read the complete review

I love Larry David; he's hilarious! His show 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' is one of the best things on TV, but I had mixed feelings about watching a film with him in it. The problem is that David is such a realist actor, with Curb basically being a mock documentary, so I struggle with the idea of him playing a fictional character. On top of that, his work in Curb is so defining, with the arrogance and stupidity, that I thought it would be hard to take him any other way. Luckily, I didn't have to try. No, in this film he plays a very Larry David character, and that is really its downfall. Whatever Works follows Boris (David) in his pessimistic, down-turn life. The ...  Read the complete review