Whatever Works

  • 2009


MOVIE IS interesting emotional enjoyable european convoluted
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59 %
50 % Rotten
$ 36 Million
See Where to Watch Whatever Works
Positive Reviews 56
Negative reviews 33
Average Rating 2.8/5
interesting emotional enjoyable european convoluted

  • All
  • Positive
  • Negative
2.5
Dont go thinking about the filmmakers relationship to the current Mrs. Allen, Soon Yi Previn; this mess isnt quite that baroque. EW
3.8
Larry David is the mind of the enterprise, and Evan Rachel Wood is the heart. Rogerebert
2.0
Plus, theres little to no chemistry between him and Wood (they barely hug). Common Sense Media
1.5
Though stuffed with witty one liners and wondrously convoluted tirades, this far fetched, deliberately artificial game of musical chairs...feels force .. Variety
3.0
For all its wobbles, Whatever Works is rooted in an agreeable sensibility: life favours fate over luck more than wed like to think, so grab whatever c .. Time Out
3.1
Which isnt to say that we dont form a relationship with these creatures.
0.5
This toxic, contemptuous, unforgivably unfunny bagatelle finds Allen at his most misanthropically one note.
2.5
Into his life tumbles naive waif Melodie St. Ann Celestine (Wood), a Southern beauty pageant princess whos become a New York City runaway.
2.5
Like the myriad dreams in which the girl walks, Allens film is a merged picture of overlapping fantasies, and the competing ideas dont altogether harm .. Paste Magazine
2.5
Shes a kid from the Deep South who doesnt know much about anything. San Francisco Chronicle
4.0
Whatever Works is a fun and funny sit, a dose of old school Allen ladled on top of a new New York that, after all these years, still needs him. Cinema Blend
2.0
Its good to have Allen return to the city he grew up in. Can the grown up Woody come back now, please Ny Daily News
2.5
As Whatever Works creaks along, the attention getting nastiness of the first half dissipates and it turns into just another Woody Allen overacted sex .. The Globe And Mail
3.8
Allen and David do stuff in Whatever Works that shouldnt work but does. Philly
3.2
Though this is lesser Allen, it contains enough laugh out loud moments in Woodys old vein to make it an enjoyable trifle. One Guys Opinion
1.5
Whatever Works illustrates, even as it names, Allens artistic limitations. Village Voice
3.8
This isnt an aside; hes doing it in the middle of a New York City sidewalk in full view of others. ReelViews
3.8
Best of all, Allen manages to sidestep the usual Hollywood convention of redeeming his self serving lead. Combust Ible Celluloid
3.2
It doesnt regain its speed until Clarksons attention is diverted from her daughter by the attention of a man.
2.5
...a sporadically watchable yet hopelessly uneven piece of work... Reel Film Reviews
3.5
Larry Davids caustic, neurotic misanthropy fits with Allens own nebbishy pessimism like onions fit in a knish. Eric Ds Nider
3.0
Theres an abundance of incisive one liners and embittered tirades, with David bringing a new caustic flavour to Allens nebbish alter ego, and if the a .. Radio Times
3.1
The laughs fly when Melodys Godfearing mom, Marietta (the captivating Patricia Clarkson steals every scene shes in), hits the Big Apple to bring her b .. Rolling Stone
3.0
Ultimately, the film finds emotional resonance in entropy, the idea that once your life has changed you cant go back. Shadows On The Wall
1.5
Whatever Works, a reported reworking of a 30 year old script, is overtly old. Pop Matters
3.0
Enjoyable, well written and frequently amusing Woody Allen comedy that doesnt exactly break any new ground but should at least bring in the Larry Davi .. View London
3.1
Whatever Works is a slapdash composition built around a single note. News Day
2.5
The Woodmans return to New York after a four year European sojourn finds him working very familiar territory much less fruitfully than in the past. New York Post
1.9
And if anything, wed prefer to spend more time with the sweetly naive Melodie. Deseret News (Salt Lake Ci ..
2.5
On HBOs Curb Your Enthusiasm, David gives self serving bile a nearly heroic stature. Boston
5.0
If Annie Hall put forth the idea of art making right that which couldnt be made right in life, Whatever Works is that idea put into practice. Mountain X
3.1
If you dont see the humour in this, youre not likely to get Woody Allens new movie Whatever Works, his return to Manhattan (but not to full comedic fo .. Toronto Star
2.2
Whatever Works does not: Marking a return to Allens favorite locale, his comedy rehashes old ideas and jokes, casting Larry David in a role that decad .. Emanuellevy
3.0
Yes, the brushstrokes are broad, the jokes dont always fizz, and it centres on another iffy age gap affair between David and Evan Rachel Woods Souther .. Guardian
3.0
This may be a comforting doctrine, but it doesnt exactly square with the realities. Daily Mail
1.5
Hes a hectoring crank, the most unlikeable Woody Allen protagonist since Kenneth Branagh in Celebrity. ( Slate
3.5
If one doesnt quite sparkle as it should, fear not, since another will be along shortly. Eye For Film
1.5
Theres witty dialogue, a wry point of view, a piquant sense of humour and plenty of the neuroses that Allen has made his trademark.
2.2
Allens seeming unwillingness to bother understanding anyone who isnt the Woody Allen Character. Movies
2.5
Woody Allen has a definite formula for his comedies, and his latest shows just how worn out, tired, and outdated its become. Mr Brown Movies
3.1
With that said, the film lacks originality and is too claustrophobic for its own good, lacking the visual sweep of a setting (New York) that wants, bu .. The Movie Boy
2.5
If theres one person who could pull it off, though, its Larry David, who might be a pretty one dimensional actor, but still manages to get some laughs .. Bullz-Eye
1.5
While Whatever Works isnt close to his best films, it is far better than most of the current crop of romantic comedies, most of which are schlock. The Atlantic
4.0
Woody Allen and Larry David! What could be better than this dream team Hollywood
0.0
Woody Allens clumsy, unfunny, preachy homage to secular humanism commits the cardinal sin; its devoid of humor. Tony Medley
2.2
Evidence that Woody Allens return to making films in America its his first since 2004 (Melinda and Melinda) comes with the loss of his mind. Coles Mithey
4.0
Interviews with Peter Chiarelli & Anne Fletcher Analysis: One thing thats surprising about this summer is that there hasnt been a lot of strong fare t ..
1.5
Boris bellyaches about the dark, unyielding pointlessness of human existence. Herald Sun
3.1
And a new collaborator, the edgy Harris Savides, gives the cinematography a freshly intimate approach. Nj
3.1
So long as you dont hurt anybody and adapt to a New York state of mind... whatever works Movie Habit
1.9
A superficial bit of cultural warfare that pits New York as the epitome of all things grand and cultured and those from the South as simple minded, im .. Film School Rejects
1.5
Woody Allens supposedly undiscovered masterpiece is a complete failure, featuring a one note performance from the usually hilarious Larry David. Film Ink
3.0
Whatever Works is funnier than anything hes done in a long time funny in the robust vaudevillian manner of Groucho Marx. The Age
2.0
Here, hes spewing insults and berating all and sundry, yet seems to wind up in a comfortable place that he doesnt deserve. Digital Spy
3.0
Allen showed us better than anyone what the good times really look like. We cant quite give up on that. We never will. Ft
1.5
An out of the closet marinating script liberated from three decades long mothballs, finds the raw unplugged, get even with the cosmos vintage Woody sh .. News Blaze
4.5
Allen had the stroke of casting brilliance to choose Larry David ... The all purpose misanthrope: a role David was born to play. Hollywood And Fine
4.4
Allens finest, funniest farce since Mighty Aphrodite cast Evan Rachel Wood as yokel ingnue Melody St. Ann Celestine and let Davids Boris Yelnikoff fil .. The Filmy Ap
2.0
Approaches the line thats ever present in Allens films dividing funny misanthropy from sour misanthropy, and tramples all over it. Antagony & Ecstasy
3.8
Though Whatever doesnt stand up against his best, its a reminder that Mr. Allen can still deliver laughs. Big Picture Big Sound
1.5
This is fun, but it turns Boriss doomsday neurotic rants into mere cartoon caterwauling. Levant, who never got a happy ending, would no doubt sneer. News Week
2.0
It seems that Allen who hasnt needed to prove himself in an age is now happy to settle for, well, whatever works. Sky
2.0
Allen has acknowledged of Boris, He doesnt express me exactly hes an extreme exaggeration of my feelings. Sbs
1.9
What doesnt work for Woody Allen is to fall back on stilted, self conscious material such as this. Scene Stealers
2.2
While that attitude applies to the episodic narrative, pushing Boris aside doesnt come naturally, especially when its been established that hes the ce .. Dvd Talk
3.0
Whatever Works wont set the world on fire but it has more than its share of riotously hysterical moments and delicious absurdities. Or Lando Weekly
3.5
The heart of the film belongs to Wood, Clarkson and Begley Jr., and they provide the biggest laughs. Watching their Southern charm slowly transformed .. Streaming Quickflix
1.5
The fact that the apartment set seems so stagebound, theres almost no pretense of pretending were not on a set, makes the movie quite hollow and canne ..
2.5
The working title for Whatever Works should have been The Heart Wants What it Wants.
3.0
You come away from it wishing there were more laugh out loud moments, a little less contrivance, and more enthusiasm curbed. Movie Metropolis
1.5
Watching this Pelhama money job from its conceptionyou can believe that theres no other motivation on Earth. Ny Mag
2.5
Whatever Works isnt a good Woody Allen movie, even by latter day standards. It is, however, a surprisingly offensive Woody Allen movie. M Tv
3.5
a more successful variation on Allens shoulder shrugging philosophy Filmcritic.com
3.5
If you want to see Larry David limp around and see his view of the glass is probably covered with diseases so who cares if its half empty or half full .. The Scorecard Review
4.5
Whatever Works is reminiscent of Allens much loved films about relationships in Manhattan in which comedy vies with angst, with a soupon of Jewish hum .. Vulture
1.5
I am a huge Woody Allen fan, but I had a hard time with Whatever Works. Vulture
3.0
But the clunky and dated Hollywood Endings and Scoops come along so often that its a relief when he doesnt embarrass himself. Orlando Sentinel
3.2
The result is a witty, well played work without an adequate center. If you can get past that, Whatever Works does. Detroit News
3.8
Overly theatrical, maybe, but as Woody Allens alter ego, Larry David works. Compuserve
3.5
Allens execution dim, repressed Red Staters get liberated in the big city will register best with his core audience. Metromix.com
1.5
Ten years after his great expectoration of bile in Deconstructing Harry, Woody Allen comes up with Whatever Works the most shameless, cynically titled .. Ny Press
1.5
Does little except reinforce the notion that Allens creative well has long since run dry. Cinematical
4.5
Whatever Works is a very funny Woody Allen movie about things that many all right, most of Allens movies are about. Esquire
2.5
Even the laudable talents of the always delightful Patricia Clarkson and Ed Begley, Jr. playing it very broad as Melodys parents, cant dissolve the so .. The Diva Review
3.5
His constant sarcastic tirades and insults would be truly unpleasant if they werent so funny. Cinema Autopsy
4.4
Allens finest work in years, and while the plot may rely a bit too much on coincidence and simple conflict resolution, the quick witted dialogue and t .. From the Front Row
3.8
A spoonful of Melody St. Ann Celestine helps the misanthrophy go down. Gomemphis
3.5
Although this film will not write anything new in the Woody Allen history book there is always room for one more feel good movie. Monsters And Critics
3.2
Whatever Works is bound to seem familiar, but found a winning formula, even if this films title suggests a less than fastidious approach to getting it .. Reel Times: Reflections on ..
4.0
I know it is not as fashionable to say this as it once was, but I love Woody Allen. Brandon Fibbs
3.0
Great news! Woody Allen has extended his run of decent films! To two! News Of The World
2.5
It appears 73 year old Woody Allen finally drew the line and elected to pair 21 year old Evan Rachel Wood with someone closer to her own age. So he se ..
3.8
The result is one of Mr. Allens most interesting comedies of recent years, a funny film in a familiar form but brought up to date by some very welcome .. Washington Times
4.5
This gleefully ironic comic fable feels different in tone from the likes of Vicky Christina Barcelona and Match Point. Woody has dusted off an old scr .. Movie Talk
1.5
Whatever Works is derived from a project Allen sketched out in the 70s, shelved due to quality concerns. First thought, best thought. Un Cut
1.5
A more vibrant film than Allens worst but the screenwriting mistakes and general misanthropy hold it back from being anywhere near his best. Movie Retriever
3.5
Fans of Allens work should be happy to find him back in Manhattan, still exploring the meaning of his existence through some typically funny one liner .. Courier Mail (Australia)
1.5
The role of Boris was written for Zero Mostel, who just might have been able to pull it off. But with David instead of vulnerable humanity you get a l .. Playback:stl
3.0
Vicious laughs and smart shots at our enlightened humanity abound, but a nasty current of misanthropy overpowers Woody latest work. Empire Online
4.5
Its natural to want to know what Coppola is so floridly passionate about in, because it isnt always clear. Stop Smiling Online
3.5
Astro bore Less bang for your butt.In Pick of the Flicks this week: Astro Boy Like a pig iron fisted metaphor, Astro Boy the film resembles the robot, .. Blogs Smh
2.5
No, the real problem is that Woodys filmmaking isnt economical anymore: Its just sloppy. Leitch Tumblr
4.5
he stiffness of Davids performance gives one renewed appreciation for Allens sometimes overlooked acting abilities.... But Allen continues to write th ..
3.0
I prefer my Woody and my Larry in separate doses. Perhaps its sometimes best to choose just the peanut butter or the chocolate.



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