"Hello! I Must Be Going..."

Woody Allen once revealed, "I can't really come up with a good argument to choose life over death. Except that I'm too scared." In 'Whatever Works', the "Allen" character, Boris Yellnikoff (Larry David), a retired physicist living in Manhattan, swallows this fear and tells us (literally) that he once tried to kill himself. While he obviously failed, the attempt did give him an ongoing limp and added to his already extremely pessimistic view on life.

This attitude is handled wonderfully by Larry David, whose ability to express cynicism and dread has been fully showcased on the series, 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'. Here, Larry David is only slightly less 'Larry David' as we know him and perhaps more 'Alvy Singer'. Boris is sarcastic and depressed and he has a deep need to express his greatness to all who will listen. He was, after all, almost considered for a Nobel Prize.

Like other Allen films, the 4th wall is breached often by Boris. He confides in the audience and seems to feel like we are on his level intellectually, while the people around him are just "inchworms". Those "cretins", however, are unaware of us. They think that Boris is going crazy and wonder who he is talking to. It's comedic but it also affirms to Boris that he is, in fact, the only one who can see the big picture.

The story begins to develop when we meet Melody played by Evan Rachel Wood. She's a transplant from the deep south and after some family problems, she escaped to New York, homeless yet still remarkably positive. She shows up on Boris' doorstep who, after some convincing, reluctantly agrees to let her stay for a night. Which turns into a week...Which turns into...Well, you'll see.



We meet Melody's conservative, religious family and Boris' liberal, upstate New York friends, and along the way we see changes so drastic, they border cliche.

But to discredit the film for this reason would be wrong. Allen has created a parable more so than a film with this piece. Things are one way, lessons are learned, and then things change. Immensely. And then it's over. Yes, it's glossy and extreme at times, and it's not necessarily realistic in any regard...but the idea is that something is taught, that something Boris has rambled off to you has stuck. I believe it works. It's a film about suffering, dread, and pain, but ultimately, 'Whatever Works' is about joy.

For a more serious film about an old smarty pants and a young bubbly girl, check out 'Starting Out In the Evening'. It stars Frank Langella and is serene, I tell you!


**This was written while listening to Wolves in the Throne Room. Check em out**