Whatever Works is a 2009 American comedy film directed and written by Woody Allen and starring Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Clarkson, Ed Begley Jr., Michael McKean, and Henry Cavill. It was released on June 19, 2009, received mixed reviews and grossed $35 million.

Plot

Boris Yelnikoff is a cynical, misanthropic chess teacher and former Columbia quantum mechanics professor. Divorced, he avoids most people and, except for three friends and his students, is patronizing to everyone he meets, who doesn t match him intellectually. He also spends much of the film washing his hands, while singing the song, Happy Birthday .

Boris comes home one night to find Melody, a simpleminded 21-year-old, on his doorstep. He reluctantly helps her, and she soon tells him her story. Melody turns out to have a distinctly Southern background, with fundamentalist parents in Mississippi, and she s run away from them. She asks if she can stay the night, to which Boris eventually allows. While staying with Boris, Melody develops a crush on him, despite their age difference, varying cultures and intelligence.

Melody soon finds a job as a dog walker, where she meets Perry Singleton and they arrange a date. When she comes back home afterwards, she explains to Boris, she didn t like Perry because he loved the world too much. Boris realizes that he s in love with her and they soon marry.

A year later, Melody s mother, Marietta, finds Melody, explaining that she and her husband, John, thought Melody had been kidnapped. She goes on to tell her that John left her and sold their house after John lost money in the stock market. She meets Boris and is disappointed with him, so she tries to persuade Melody to end the marriage. The three go for lunch and meets Boris s friend, Leo. When Marietta goes to use the restroom, a young man, Randy Lee James, inquires about Melody and Marietta slyly decides to recruit Randy, who has fallen in love with Melody at first sight, to end her marriage. Later that evening, Leo, who had taken an interest in Marietta, asks her over for dinner. They spend the evening together, and discover that she s a talented photographer.

Boris explains to the audience that over the next few weeks Marietta has changed and started experimenting with artistic photography, exotic new habits, and starting an open relationship with Leo and his business partner, Morgenstern. Marietta still hates Boris and keeps trying to get Melody to marry Randy. She takes Melody to an outdoor market and accidentally runs into Randy, who questions her about her marriage. Melody initially sees past Marietta s attempt and tells him that her marriage is fine. She warns her mother to stop, but Marietta continues to try. Later, while shopping for clothes, Melody meets Randy in another planned encounter and he gets her to admit that her relationship with Boris isn t entirely satisfying. He then invites her to the boat he lives on, and the two kiss and begin an affair.

John arrives at Boris and Melody s home remorseful and hopes to get the family back together. They all go to Marietta s photography exhibit opening together, and he sees how his ex-wife has changed since she moved to New York. Distraught, he retreats to a bar, drinking away his misery. While there, he meets a recently divorced gay man, Howard, and admits what he has known most of his adult life: that he is also gay.

Melody finally tells Boris she s in love with Randy, and Boris is devastated, jumping out another window. This time landing on another woman, Helena, breaking her arm and leg. As he visits her in the hospital, Boris asks her if there is anything he can do to make it up to her, Helena says she would like to go to dinner with him.

Finally, Boris hosts a New Year s Eve party, where everyone is in their new relationships: Marietta with Leo and Morgenstern, John is with Howard, Melody with Randy, and finally Boris with Helena. Melody and her parents have completely shed their former Southern conservative mindsets and wholeheartedly adopted the liberal New York City way of life and values. While everyone is now the best of friends, and at midnight they kiss their significant others.

Afterward, it is revealed only Boris can speak to the audience and explains, that one has to find all the enjoyment one can to find, Whatever Works .

Cast

• Larry David as Boris
• Evan Rachel Wood as Melody
• Ed Begley Jr. as John
• Patricia Clarkson as Marietta
• Conleth Hill as Brockman
• Michael McKean as Boris friend
• Henry Cavill as Randy Lee James
• John Gallagher Jr. as Perry
• Jessica Hecht as Helena
• Carolyn McCormick as Jessica
• Christopher Evan Welch as Howard
• Olek Krupa as Morgenstern

In addition, Adam Brooks and Lyle Kanouse portray Boris two other unnamed friends.

Release

On February 2, 2009, Variety reported that Sony Pictures Classics had purchased U.S. distribution rights to Whatever Works. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, on April 22, 2009. Sony gave the film a limited US release, beginning June 19, 2009. Maple Pictures released the film in Canada theatrically, and on DVD in October 2009. The film had its UK release on June 25, 2010.

Production

The film was shot in New York City, marking Allen s return to his native city after shooting four films in Europe. David was hesitant to take the role, pointing out to Allen that his work on Curb Your Enthusiasm was improvisation, but Allen encouraged him to take the role anyway.

Partly to counter assertions that the film is autobiographical, Allen has pointed out that the script was written in the early 1970s, with Zero Mostel in mind for Boris; it was shelved after the actor s death in 1977. Thirty years later, Allen revisited the script in an attempt to create a film before a potential threat of a Screen Actors Guild strike. According to Allen, the only significant changes to the script involved updating the topical references.

Soundtrack

• Hello, I Must Be Going – Groucho Marx and Cast
• Salty Bubble – Tom Sharpsteen and His Orlandos
• Butterfly By – Heinz Kiessling
• Honeymoon Swoon – Werner Tautz
• If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight) – Jackie Gleason
• Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven) in D Minor, Op. 125 – Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
• Wedding March – Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
• Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven) in C Minor – Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
• Desafinado – Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd
• Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year – Red Garland
• Menina Flor – Charlie Byrd
• Auld Lang Syne – Dick Hyman & His Orchestra
• Happy Birthday To You – Larry David

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 50% based on 165 reviews, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The website s critical consensus reads, Based upon a script written in the 1970s, Woody Allen s Whatever Works suffers from a lack of fresh ideas. According to another review aggregator, Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 top reviews from mainstream critics, the film has an average score of 45 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating mixed or average reviews .

Reflecting the evenly split approval of the critics, Matthew Oshinsky of The Star-Ledger wrote that the film was a good example of Allen s ability to write great roles for women and the film is nowhere near his best work, but it has some funny lines and that it s at least pleasant .

Year	2009
ReleaseDate	2009-07-03
RuntimeMins	93
RuntimeStr	1h 33min
Plot	A middle-aged, misanthropic divorcé from New York City surprisingly enters a fulfilling, Pygmalion-type relationship with a much younger, unsophisticated Southern girl.
Awards	Awards, 2 wins & 1 nomination
Directors	Woody Allen
Writers	Woody Allen
Stars	Evan Rachel Wood, Larry David, Henry Cavill
Produced by	Letty Aronson,Brahim Chioua,Charles H. Joffe,Vincent Maraval,Helen Robin,Jack Rollins,Stephen Tenenbaum
Cinematography by	Harris Savides
Film Editing by	Alisa Lepselter
Casting By	Ali Farrell,Laura Rosenthal,Juliet Taylor
Production Design by	Santo Loquasto
Art Direction by	Tom Warren
Set Decoration by	Ellen Christiansen
Costume Design by	Suzy Benzinger
Makeup Department	Robert Fama,Gail McGuire,Linda Melo,Rosemary Zurlo
Production Management	Helen Robin
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director	Dan Majkut,Murphy Occhino,Richard Patrick
Art Department	Kenneth Brzozowski,Kathleen Dolan,Virginia Gifford,James Granger,Daniel K. Grosso,Sean Hawk,Beth Kuhn,Glenn Lloyd,Ann Durnin Mckendry,Ann Miller,Nicholas J. Mongelli Jr.,Thomas Nousias,Mark Pollard,Jon Ringbom,Manny Sanchez,Elizabeth Schlitten,Cliff Schorr,Edward Smith,Andrew Spagnoli,Jennifer B. Starke,Rodney Sterbenz,Richard Tenewitz,Dana Wilson,Christopher Yager,Joseph Ziegler,Jane Patterson-Loper
Sound Department	Gary Alper,Ryan Collison,Lee Dichter,Pete Fonda,Matthew Haasch,Robert Hein,Thomas Kodros,Sylvia Menno,Glenfield Payne,Jay Peck,Jason Stasium,Damian Volpe,David Wahnon
Visual Effects by	Randall Balsmeyer,Dana Bloder,J. John Corbett,Charles Lapage,Jesse Morrow,David Piombino,Adrienne Winterhalter
Stunts	Peter Bucossi,Don Hewitt
Camera and Electrical Department	Christian Baldi,Matt Balzarini,Adriana Brunetto-Lipman,Greg Canicio,Joel Carucci,Marcel Ciurea,Rashad Clinton,Doug Dalisera,Russell Engels,Robert K. Feldmann,James W. Finnerty,Kevin Fraser,Timothy Healy,Patrick Johnson,Richard C. Kerekes,James Mah,Jessica Miglio,Tim Norman,Christopher Purificato,Kyle Rudolph,James F. Walsh,Kevin Walsh
Casting Department	Karen E. Etcoff,Maribeth Fox,David H. Kramer,Bill Tripician
Costume and Wardrobe Department	Danajean Cicerchi,Jeff Fender,Nicholas McManus,Marco Piemontese,Stephen Kyle Wesson,Scott Westervelt,Patrick Wiley
Editorial Department	Terry Claborn,Mo Henry,Kate Rose Itzkowitz,Morgan Neville,Tim Stipan,Brian Umana,Joe Violante
Location Management	Bill Garvey,Elizabeth Klenk,Gine Lui,Suk Yi Mar,Christie Mullen,Lynn H. Powers,Colby Shrefler,Joshua Shull,Nate Shull,Susan Silas,John Spady
Music Department	Jill Meyers,Roy B. Yokelson
Script and Continuity Department	Jessica Lichtner
Transportation Department	John Canavan,Eugene O Neill
Additional Crew	Deborah Alexander-Lee,Abby Bailey,David Bellarosa,Theo Brooks,Laura Comerford,Angela Cutrone,Leo Driver,Tom Glick,Michael J. Harker,Rebecca Hawkes,Shani Hinton,Sophie Holland,Adrianne Jorge,Scott Kordish,James LeSage,Phillip Leung,Pietro Lorino Jr.,Liz Magee,Richard McCune,Soren Miltich,Kathryn Minogue,Brian Papworth,Erik Piecuch,Emma Pindar,Regina Scott,Jeff Sedwick,Howard Shipman,Lora Sorrentino,Laura Streicher,Peter Tavis Jr.,Irwin J. Tenenbaum,Melissa Tomjanovich,Amy R. Trachtman,Kelly Trivigno,Caroline Turner,Joseph Turner,Sawyer Williams,Sharyn Yau,Liam Doyle
Thanks	Michael Bloomberg,Antoine Douaihy,Cristobal Gabarron,Neil Girardi,James Hickey,Greg Johnson,Robert Lee Morris,Katherine Oliver,Peter Som
Genres	Comedy, Romance
Companies	Sony Pictures Classics, Wild Bunch, Gravier Productions
Countries	USA, France
Languages	English
ContentRating	PG-13
ImDbRating	7.1
ImDbRatingVotes	74349
MetacriticRating	45
Keywords	runaway,quantum mechanics,limp,atheist,religion