The Film
Imagine if Larry David, the character - or should I say caricature played by Larry David - from Curb Your Enthusiasm was transplanted to New York, and then starred in a film that was written and directed by Woody Allen? The result would be Whatever Works, a surreal "love story" where a 21-year old farm girl could somehow fall in love with a rude, crass, balding man who is just a bit more than mildly suicidal.
The film might have been good if the lead were Woody Allen himself, with his impeccable timing and dead-on self-loathing thing that he does, but David is no Allen, and the result is just a string of sometime funny, something painful rants that are all too often directed at the camera. Even the supporting cast, which includes Patricia Clarkson, Ed Begley, Jr. and Michael McKean can't save this one. In the end nothing works.
Joe Lozito offers a
more enthusiastic take on the film, and tells why he thought it worked.
The Picture
From the opening credit sequence that is pure Woody Allen - simple white text on black - this film is clear of any visual distractions. Either that or I just couldn't turn away from David being so over-the-top that it completely distracted me. The 1.78:1 1080p presentation offers good black levels and really presents New York City just as it is, and Allen's low key approach to cinematography gives this a being there look from beginning to end. However, while it all looks good visually, unfortunately there really isn't really anything to see! This isn't as much a complaint - and unlike David, I'm not the type to rant about nothing - but it is worth noting that while it looks good, this one is far from a treat for the eyes.
The Sound
Woody Allen movies are never about bombastic - or even immersive- sound, and this one is no exception to the rule. The dialog-heavy film is very front center channel heavy, but the 5.1-channel DTS-HD Master Audio sound keeps everything nice and discrete, just like the relationship that serves as the center of the story.
The Extras
Now here is where Larry David would/should go ballistic if he bought this disc. There are no extras. Nothing. Anything in the way of bonus material would have worked, and it would have been nice to hear what Allen and David though of the film, that might have even better than the story. But even more surprising is the fact that the disc even shortchanges viewers of any foreign language tracks or subtitles!
Final Thoughts
Whatever Works certainly sounds like it should appeal to those who like the surreal rantings of Larry David or the usually spot-on humor of Woody Allen, but it has just too much of the neurosis of Allen and too much of David being just unlikable. So while the film looks good and sounds good, it lacks any extras, and what should have been a surefire mix from two comedy geniuses, in the end, just doesn't work or get you much enthused.
Product Details
- Actors: Larry David, Ed Begley, Jr., Patricia Clarkson, Conleth Hill, Michael McKean, Evan Rachel Wood
- Director: Woody Allen
- Audio Languages: English DTS-HD Master Audio
- Subtitles: English SDH
- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Number of Discs: 1
- Rating: PG-13
- Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
- Release Date: October 27, 2009
- Run Time: 92 minutes
- List Price: $39.95
- Extras:
