Don’t take it lying down
WHATEVER WORKS Director: Woody Allen Cert. 12A
Woody Allen’s Whatever Works opens with frustrated intellectual Boris Yelnikoff (Larry David) trying to convince his buddies that there is an audience of ticket holders watching them, waiting to hear his story.
The point being that this lonely nihilist is the only one who can see the big picture! He says: ‘My story is whatever works. You know, as long as you don’t hurt anybody. Anyway you can filch a little joy in this cruel, dog-eat-dog, pointless, black chaos. That’s my story’. Resurrecting a script he originally wrote over 30 years ago, this is not Woody Allen at his most subtle.
The paper-thin story (more a vehicle for ideas) follows Boris as he rants about his worldview to whoever may listen, and then is confronted by young runaway Melodie, with whom he falls in love, despite finding her immature and shallow. Woody’s theatrical style of direction is not up everyone’s alley, but, after all these years, he sure has got it down to a T.
