Made from the classic Woody Allen materials, the never ending existential questioning of a Boris Yellnikoff, an ever ranting and complaining, eccentric suicidal old fella from NY. He meets a young and beautiful runaway girl named Melodie who needs shelter for a few days. A few days turn into months and slowly something in Boris changes. But while trying to mold the young girl’s views to match his own, the plot thickens as her parents track her down.
Larry David (Seinfeld) acting is believable, though personally, Woody Allen better acts the “we’re all going to die” hypochondriac character.
I would expect less recycling of materials and new ideas from Allen, but nonetheless it’s a sweet movie, even though a comedy, it was a bit depressing at the beginning…but it does leave you with the kitschy but true (and somewhat in our daily race, forgettable) moral lesson “Whatever love you can get or give, whatever happiness you can provide, every temporary measure of grace, WHATEVER WORKS.”
Whatever Works (2009) on AMAZON.COM
whatever…