Whatever Works (2009)

A middle-aged, misanthropic divorcée from New York City surprisingly enters a fulfilling, Pygmalion-type relationship with a much younger, unsophisticated Southern girl.

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen

Stars:

Evan Rachel Wood, Larry David, Henry Cavill

2 wins & 1 nomination.

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
Evan Rachel Wood	...	Melody Celestine
Conleth Hill	...	Brockman
Marcia DeBonis	...	Lady at Chinese Restaurant
John Gallagher Jr.	...	Perry
Willa Cuthrell	...	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 | quantum mechanics | limp | atheist | religion | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Like Woody Allen's later film Blue Jasmine (2013), this film takes several cues from Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire". Marietta, a Southern woman visiting the big city, echoes Blanche DuBois in several ways, including being horrified at Melodie's apartment and being coy about her drinking. At least one of her lines ("You are not the gentleman I was expecting") is a direct homage to "A Streetcar Named Desire".

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Goofs

Henry Cavill plays the character Randy, a British actor. No Brit would ever be called Randy because in the UK the word randy is the equivalent of horny in US English.

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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 god ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: The Worst Films of 2009 (2010)

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Soundtracks

Butterfly By
Written by Heinz Kiessling
Performed by Heinz Kiessling
Courtesy of Extreme Production Music

User Reviews

Cynical, Witty and Hilarious Return to New York

In New York, the bitter and grumpy Professor of Quantum Mechanics in Columbia University Boris Yellnikoff (Larry David) is a snobbish and pretentious intellectual that claims to be a genius in String Theory and that the world is completely wrong. During an existential crisis, Boris ends his marriage with Jessica (Carolyn McCormick) and jumps through the window to commit suicide. However the canopy saves his life and Boris becomes limp and quits his job in Columbia. He moves to an old apartment downtown and gives chess classes to children to make some money. When the simpleminded religious Mississippi runaway Melodie Saint Ann Celestine (Evan Rachel Wood) asks for food to him, he temporarily lodges the girl in his apartment. Along the days, the atheist Boris shapes Melodie to his thoughts and the girl, impressed with his pretentious geniality, fits his world. Despite their difference of ages, they marry each other and have a routine life. However, the world of Boris changes when out of the blue Melodie's mother Marietta (Patricia Clarkson) arrives in their apartment.

"Whatever Works" is an ironic romantic comedy about how irrational things of the heart are. The lead character Boris Yellnikoff is annoying and maybe reflects the alter ego of Woody Allen in the present days. But the black humor is hilarious and does not disappoint the fans of this great director, with cynical and witty lines. The return of Woody Allen to New York is great and shows that he has not lost his shape. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Tudo Pode Dar Certo" ("Everything Can Work")

Details

Official Sites:

Mars Distribution [France] Sony Pictures Classics [United States]

Country:

USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 July 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Woody Allen Project

Filming Locations:

Grant's Tomb, Riverside Drive, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$266,162, 21 June 2009

Gross USA:

$5,306,706

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$36,020,534

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sony Pictures Classics, Wild Bunch, Gravier Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min 92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1