Whatever Works (2009)

Attempting to impress his ideologies on religion, relationships, and the randomness (and worthlessness) of existence, lifelong New York resident Boris Yellnikoff rants to anyone who will ... See full summary »

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen

Stars:

Larry David, Adam Brooks, Evan Rachel Wood

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Larry David	...	Boris
Adam Brooks	...	Boris' Friend
Lyle Kanouse	...	Boris' Friend
Michael McKean	...	Boris' Friend
Clifford Lee Dickson	...	Boy on Street
Yolonda Ross	...	Boy's Mother
Carolyn McCormick	...	Jessica
Samantha Bee	...	Chess Mother
Conleth Hill	...	Brockman
Marcia DeBonis	...	Lady at Chinese Restaurant
Evan Rachel Wood	...	Melody
John Gallagher Jr.	...	Perry
Willa Cuthrell-Tuttleman	...	Chess Girl (as Willa Cuthrell Tuttleman)
Nicole Patrick	...	Perry's Friend
Patricia Clarkson	...	Marietta

Storyline

Attempting to impress his ideologies on religion, relationships, and the randomness (and worthlessness) of existence, lifelong New York resident Boris Yellnikoff rants to anyone who will listen, including the audience. But when he begrudgingly allows naive Mississippi runaway Melodie St. Ann Celestine to live in his apartment, his reclusive rages give way to an unlikely friendship and Boris begins to mold the impressionable young girl's worldly views to match his own. When it comes to love, "whatever works" is his motto, but his already perplexed life complicates itself further when Melodie's parents eventually track her down.

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Plot Keywords:

runaway | limp | religious | chess | religion | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual situations including dialogue, brief nude images and thematic material

Details

Official Sites:

Mars Distribution [fr] Official site [jp]

Country:

USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 July 2009 (France)

Also Known As:

Untitled Woody Allen Project

Filming Locations:

Chinatown, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£72,678 (UK) (25 June 2010)

Gross:

£203,555 (UK) (2 July 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sony Pictures Classics, Wild Bunch, Gravier Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min 92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Mono)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The role of Boris Yellnikoff was original written for Zero Mostel. After Mostel's death in 1977, Woody Allen set the screenplay aside. However, with a potential actor's strike during 2008-9, Allen chose this old screenplay to be his next film. Furthermore Zero Mostel and Larry David both played the role of Max Bialistock. Mostel in the original Producers and David in the play within a show representing the main story arc from season 4 of Curb your Enthusiasm.

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Goofs

When Melodie says "He doesn't have a lot of patience for US inchworms.", Boris incorrectly corrects her and says "WE inchworms". Boris is supposed to be a genius, but Melodie was actually correct.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Boris Yellnikoff: That's not what I'm saying, imbecile. You guys completely misrepresent my ideas, why would I even want to talk with those idiots.
Boris' Friend: Just calm down.
Boris' Friend: That's not true, Boris.
Boris Yellnikoff: No, don't tell me to calm down, I am calm. Just stop.
Boris' Friend: Don't jump on us just because we don't understand what you're saying.
Boris Yellnikoff: I didn't jump on you. It's not the idea behind Christianity I'm faulting, or Judaism, or any religion. It's the professionals who've made it into corporate business. There's big money in the ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien: Episode #1.12 (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Buttmeat Boogie"
Written by Kent Buchanan (as Kent Bucchanon)
Performed by Kent Buchanan (as Kent Bucchanon)
Courtesy of Extreme Production Music

User Reviews

Totally agree... vintage Woody Allen

First, just so you know, I'm writing this review from France... but I'm from the U.S. That, so you don't disregard this as yet another Franco-Allen fan (they've exchanged their Jerry Lewis passion for Woody over here, and sanction everything he does).

Also, disclaimer: I really like and respect Woody Allen's work and I'm also an ex New Yorker. With a Jewish wife, no less. So no, okay, I'm not unbiased.

All that said... I fully agree with "boyden" in that this movie is far better than the reviews it gets from critics. On rottentomatoes.com, for instance, this garnered a 45% rating. That's on par with non-hits like "Gigli" etc.

Yet, the dialogue was great... Larry David was as close to a Woody Allen substitute as anyone has come in a long time (Allen always casts people he can direct to sound like him, it seems)... and it made me crave that old New York, before the money of the recent pre-bust boom turned it into a homogenized has-been of a city.

Evan Rachel Wood, by the way, was overwhelmingly charming. And I thought all the other acting was excellent too, in the way people act in Woody Allen movies... which is ALWAYS different from what it is in other films (you occasionally get those moments where the lines are crafted or improvised rather than somewhere in the middle).

At any rate, it's amazing the size of the disconnect between fan response and the response of the critics... who, in my opinion, should go watch Annie Hall and Sleeper and the like so they can remember again.