Whatever Works
2009 · Directed by Woody Allen
Original language: English
- comedy
- romance
The story
Whatever Works explores the relationship between a crotchety misanthrope, Boris and a naïve, impressionable young runaway from the south, Melody. When Melody's uptight parents arrive in New York to rescue her, they are quickly drawn into wildly unexpected romantic entanglements. Everyone discovers that finding love is just a combination of lucky chance and appreciating the value of "whatever works."
What it’s like
Bright, flat New York daylight through apartment windows, with Woody Allen's usual static, centered two-shots that let Larry David's rumpled, theatrical hostility play out in the middle of the frame while the city hums through open windows and street noise. The palette is warm but unfussy: cramped Manhattan interiors, worn kitchens, a few sunlit park walks and quick cuts to cabs and crowded sidewalks, with a jazz-and-classical score that bounces in and out between scenes and occasionally breaks into a cheerful vintage standard. Vibe: wry, sour-sweet, buoyant. It suits a lazy weekend afternoon or a comfort rewatch when you want talky, cynical banter that ends up hopeful. Pacing is brisk and conversational, with David's direct-to-camera asides punctuating scenes, and the tone is dry, self-mocking and generous. Its people are stubborn and set in their ways, and their arcs bend slowly toward accepting messy, improbable love. Intensity is low: some sexual innuendo and an age-gap romance, a brief suicide attempt played for dark comedy, but no real violence and no gore. For viewers who like Allen-style urban comedy, sharp dialogue about God and mortality, and romance that refuses to be sentimental.
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