|
|
As I write this review, the average rating for Whatever Works is 7.3. That rating must be due to ballot box stuffing by fans of Evan Rachel Wood and Patricia Clarkson, and not by people who watched an interesting, funny, or good movie. Whatever Works is dreadful. It would be dreadful if it was made by a film student making his first feature; it's even more dreadful since it was made by a man who at one time made movies that were interesting, thoughtful, sometimes funny, sometimes serious and always entertaining. Now his movies are pointless, joyless and heartless.
It's sad what has happened to Woody Allen. Really sad. At one time his angst and dystopia once served as a vehicle for his jokes and was fodder for deeper thoughts. Now, his facile utterings are more like the complaints of a teen goth who has never ventured outside of their little world.
Practically every line of dialogue feels forced and out of place. It's not the actors fault as you can see the leaden snippets simply fall to the floor as they come out of their mouths.
I can only assume that the high rating for this film is due to folks who remember Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters, Bananas, Sleepers and all the rest from 20 years ago. Both funny and serious. (Other than the Wood & Clarkson Ballot stuffers, of course!?!?) My 2 rating is to represent the one star I give each to Wood & Clarkson, who put on great performances and look great.
If you can see this for free somewhere, and you're a fan of Evan Rachel Wood and/or Patricia Clarkson, then watch while performing another task and/or while surfing the web. If you're a fan of Larry David, stick to Seinfeld or Curb Your Enthusiasm, where he does justice to his own writing and doesn't try to make Allen's dated dreck palatable.
score 2/10
mikes2001 7 October 2010
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2321210/ |
|
27-2-2021 18:06:10