|
|
"Whatever Works" belongs to the endless sequence of misogynistic Woody Allen films depicting romances between older men and much younger women. Unlike the underrated "Elegy" which approaches the subject with seriousness and sensitivity, "Whatever Works" is clearly supposed to be a comedy, but laughs are entirely absent as a dim-witted Southern blond sets her sights on an elderly, misanthropic know-it-all. Larry David plays this charmless romantic lead as a clone of his "Curb Your Enthusiasm" curmudgeon, and "Whatever Works" resembles a terminally dire reject episode of the TV show. The acting mimics the style of provincial theatrical farce while the threadbare story unfolds through a wooden script. The characters are Allen's usual paper-thin caricatures, whose principal purpose is to proclaim his shallow philosophical preoccupations yet one more time. The direction is particularly witless, wasting the fine talents of Evan Rachel Wood and Patricia Clarkson, whose performances as the Bible Belt simpleton and her scheming mother are excruciating to watch. The end result is grinding, tasteless tedium - perhaps even worse than "Scoop".
score 1/10
tigerfish50 24 November 2010
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2343368/ |
|
27-2-2021 18:06:09