Whatever Works

Impressions before seeing it
I've seen a few Woody Allen films before and generally enjoy his work. Also I am a fan of Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood.

How was it?
The title, and the movie's premise, go back to Woody's explanation for his controversial relationship with his adopted stepdaughter: "The heart wants what it wants." Basically this is a movie about bizarre and unlikely couples - the incredibly smart but pessimistic Boris (David) and the passionate but stupid Melody (Wood); her hippie mother (Patricia Clarkson) and the two men she threesomes regularly; and Melody's father (Ed Begley Jr.), who meets a guy in a bar after finally realizing he is gay. Not to say that gay relationships are bizarre, but it was unlikely given that Melody's father had been married for so many years and then left his wife for another woman before switching teams.

But the idea is not to give the audience an exploitative sideshow of freaky couples. The point being made is that sometimes the person who makes us happiest will come out of left field, and even if it's not something that is likely to last or will probably be frowned upon, we should go with it because of that happiness. Or in other words, go with "whatever works".

The cast was solid, although at first I kind of felt that David and Wood were maybe playing it a little too strongly, like performing a play instead of a movie, but they soon settled into their roles more comfortably (or I did as the viewer), and I stopped noticing. To be honest Larry David was mostly just playing a version of himself, but that's what he always does, and he does it well.

I don't know about all of Woody's other films, but I was reminded of Annie Hall when Boris would address the camera/audience and slip in some self-referential remarks. Apparently Whatever Works was actually written back in the 70's, which would explain the similarity to Woody's earlier comedies and why he released a comedy now when he has been doing dramas lately. Yes, I am aware that the poster ironically labels it as "a new comedy".

Recommendation
In real life I think the characters in this movie would be annoying, but on screen I found them charming in spite of having some big flaws. I can't say whether anyone else would see it that way, though. The movie's message is simple and not revealed in any profound way, but I would recommend it if you have any interest in Woody Allen or Larry David.