Sample #2: from Digital Cinema, Special Topic Woody Allen class
Final Paper – Whatever Works
The additional Woody Allen movie from the last decade that I have chosen to discuss for my final paper is Whatever Works. The film, written and directed by Allen, was shot in 2009 and stars actor and comedian Larry David, along with Evan Rachel Wood and Patricia Clarkson.
In Whatever Works, we learn the story of Boris Yelnikoff, a former professor of quantum mechanics that dislikes interacting with people. He lives his life teaching chess to young students that he also hates, since they obviously do not match him in intelligence; other than his students, the only people he interacts with are a couple of friends, but he dislikes the rest of humanity and proclaims himself a misanthrope. However, one day, on his way home Boris encounters a girl named Melody who is living in the streets, and who asks him if she can get anything to eat from him. Reluctantly, Boris lets her in, and she eventually stays for the night. Although she is not very bright, Melody turns out to be a very sociable southern girl who enjoys spending her time with Boris, learning a lot, mostly about hatred and misanthropy, but also about basic scientific and philosophical notions – at times. Soon she develops a crush on him and Boris, attracted by the ingenuity of the girl and by the way she strongly believes in his ideas, decides to marry her. The movie follows their marriage as well as the lives of Melody’s parents, two fundamentalists from Mississippi who later become very different people due to living in Manhattan. The movie concentrates on the concept that “Whatever Works”, and that one needs to find his own way to grasp happiness in a miserable life.
After neglecting his beloved Manhattan for four movies, Woody Allen goes back to the city that he calls home and the place where he belongs: Whatever Works is set in Manhattan, and it was filmed mainly in the Lower East Side and Chinatown.
This prodigal son-like return to the city is important to all of Allen’s fans in New York, the ones who once thought that, with films such as Manhattan and Annie Hall, Allen was telling their own story, a generation of working thirty-something years old that dealt with New York City on a daily basis. As Mark Harris states in his article “Twilight of the Tummers”, “Allen wedded the character [Boris] to an impassioned view of New York City as the only possible playground for that kind of obsessive thinking—a view that not only flattered all of us but also found a way to unite a class of fans by geography and sensibility rather than age or background.” (Harris). According to Allen, Boris can only possibly live in Manhattan. Manhattan works for the plot, it works with the story, and it will make New York fanatics happy.
In another paragraph of his article, Harris tells the love story between Allen’s movies and New Yorkers: “Remember the Woody Allen of the seventies, the guy who several generations of New Yorkers decided was the comedic poet laureate of their era of the city? The man with whom they had a great first date (1973’s Sleeper) that deepened into a full-on relationship (1977’s Annie Hall) and then further enriched itself into true love (1979’s Manhattan), because we always fall in love with the one who makes us laugh? Whatever Works is, in essence, the missing movie from that period—the film that would have rounded out the New York phase of Allen’s early career if only he had made it.” (Harris) With that said, if it seems like Whatever Works belongs to that time and that group of movies, is because it does: the script was in fact written in the early 1970’s, and Allen had originally written the role of Boris for Zero Mostel. However, after Mostel’s death in 1977, the movie was put on a shelf and its script remained untouched for longer than thirty years.
In 2009, a possible actor’s strike scares scares Allen: the strike could go on all summer long, therefore he has to quickly shoot in the spring, there is no time to travel elsewhere, and there’s no time to write a movie. Therefore, he finally reaches for Whatever Works, already written and set in Manhattan. He makes a few adjustments to references and dialogues, and casts Larry David for Boris’s role. David is a brilliant casting choice: just like Allen, he is Jewish, he is a writer and comedian, and he bases a lot of his humor on pessimism. In his film review for The Guardian, Jason Solomon states that Larry David “must be congratulated on retaining his own delivery without succumbing to the curse of the actor impersonating the “Woody role” (Solomon). Allen and Solomon are similar, but David has his own way of bringing Boris’s character to life. Although Zero Mostel was who really inspired the character, David seems made to ramble about how humans are a failed species.
As one can somewhat tell from the nature of its plot, Whatever Works discusses a set of themes that have to do with human condition: some of them are love, death, intelligence, values, people, misanthropy and happiness.
The main theme in Whatever Works is certainly love; Harris states “For Boris, the only possible consolation for existential hopelessness is romance: “My story is, whatever works, as long as you don’t hurt anybody,” he says as the movie starts.” (Harris). It is interesting to see how Boris himself, hater of all things, refers to love as the only thing that can make us happy, though superficially and for shorts periods of time. Boris is not a good lover: he is insensitive, he belittles his partners, he dislikes sex, and he complains too much. But Whatever Works does not simply cover Boris’s views on love: in fact, it follows a group of characters and explores their love relationships. Throughout the film, we see Boris being engaged in three relationships: the one with his ex-wife, the one with Melody, and lastly, the one with the psychic Helena. However, we also see Melody interact with Randy, we see Marietta interact with her two lovers and her ex-husband, and we see said ex-husband interact with his new lover. All the love stories have the goal of reminding us that, in love and life, “whatever works”, and that we should grasp whatever makes us happy.
However, the film is not simply about love, as many other themes are present and relevant. First of all, Whatever Works is a movie about people, a film that explores how people change and a film that favors acceptance. If you are drastically changing your life in favor of something that makes you happy, you should go for it and make that change: that is one of the positive notes that the film leaves you with.
However, there are also less positive topics that are treated in the movie, one of them being the inevitability of death, its imminence, and the unacceptable truth that we are all mortals and we are going to die. The theme is very present, but it is always treated with sarcasm and humor, therefore it does not feel heavy or out of place.
Whatever Works also covers the topics of intelligence and personal values, and we see that particularly in Melody, who evolves throughout the film and starts coming up with her own values and philosophical ideas about life: she finally thinks for herself and stops merely following her parents or Boris’s ideas– although her thoughts are not very articulate.
Another main theme brought up in Whatever Works is misanthropy: in A Companion to Woody Allen, the authors define the movie as “a postmodern avatar of Molière’s The Misanthrope (1666)”. (Bailey, Girgus). Just like in Moliere’s play, the main character in Whatever Works despises humanity, considers the human race a failed species and sees life though a lens of pessimism. People have no value for Boris, which is an argument that all misanthropes could make.
Lastly, some argue that, by showing Boris and Melody’s relationship as a rather happy one, Whatever Works tries to justify Allen’s relationship with his young wife Soon-Yi. However, that can also feel like a stretch as the relationship was relatively old news when Allen filmed Whatever Works. As Jason Solomons states in his film review for The Guardian: “Melodie and Boris […] begin an affair and people can decide for themselves if this is thus Allen’s defence for his unusual personal life with his wife, Soon-Yi (they’ve been married since 1997, so maybe we should all let them alone, no?).” (Solomons)
Next to explore in this paper is Woody Allen’s use of music and cinematography in the film. In Whatever Works, music is used to define the personality of the characters or to illustrate a specific topic that will be explored during the movie. We are first going to demonstrate the latter function through the song that Allen chooses for the opening credits and beginning of the movie. The song is used to introduce the topic of death right from the start in a very subtle manner. As Bailey and Girgus state in their book A Companion to Woody Allen, “The first thing you hear, as the titles roll by, is Groucho Marx singing “Hello, I must be going” from Animal Crackers. It’s an audio epitome of late Woody: a gifted comic trying to subsume the certainty of death (“I must be going”) in order to make it into a laughing matter.” (Bailey, Girgus). With his choice of song, Woody Allen sets the tone for the entire movie, an in-between feel of tragedy and comedy.
As I had previously stated, music is also used to define the personality of a character and, more specifically, to create a contrast between the characters of Boris and Melody: there is one scene, for example, where Melody is listening to some pop-rock and Boris walks into the room complaining, and swaps her CD with Beethoven’s Fifth. That not only shows that they have very different taste in music, but it also tells us that the two are completely different, they are the opposite of each other. Their choice of music tells us about their intelligence and intellect.
This compare and contrast tool is also applied though cinematography and, in particular, with locations. For example, we mainly see Boris inside his house, where he feels more comfortable. The colors inside the apartment are dark, with a lot of emphasis on shades of brown, grey, and dark green. Meanwhile, when we see Melody, we usually see her outside of the house, maybe at the park, surrounded by shades of green and blue skies and bright colors. Colors and shooting locations are used to differentiate Boris and Melody to an extreme, so that the viewer can understand that the two are not at all made for each other. Wide, open air shots for Melody, and narrow, almost claustrophobic indoor shots for Boris. The choice of costumes also relates to this contrast, as we see Boris wearing all shades of beige, grey and white, and at the same time we see Melody, wearing short skirts and bright colors.
It is relatively easy to compare Whatever Works to other movies that we have seen and discussed throughout the course, because as we have said, most of the themes treated in this film are Woody Allen’s usual topics, the ones that he enjoys covering in his movies. Therefore, we are now going to make some comparisons and considerations.
Since Whatever Works has been filmed in Manhattan, one naturally associates the movie to one of Allen’s masterpieces titled “Manhattan”. However, one must not be so quick to judge: it is true that they have both been filmed in said location and that both of the movies explore different aspects of romantic relationships, but they take two very different approaches. In Manhattan, with the help of black and white and brilliant cinematography, everything is romanticized, from New York City to love relationships, even the ones that do not work. In Whatever Works, it is quite the opposite: nothing is romantic, not even a relationship that works.
Meanwhile, Whatever Works certainly shows some resemblance to Annie Hall, one of Woody Allen’s best works, from 1977. First and foremost, the main similarity is the fact that the main character in both films is a Jewish white male. In most of his movies, that is the character that Woody Allen relates to the most, being a Jewish white male himself. In Annie Hall, Allen actually interprets the role of the neurotic Alvy, while in Whatever Works, the role of Boris is left to Larry David.
Moreover, the two movies both begin with a monologue, where the two main characters express very similar views about life: the tragedy of aging and inevitable death, misanthropy and failed love relationships are all recurrent themes in both of their monologues. Moreover, both characters praise and applaud themselves: one highlights his intelligence, while the other states that, although he is aging, he will only get better with age.
In both Annie Hall and Whatever Works, we see the main character breaking the fourth wall and talking to the camera. In Annie Hall, that is done in a very subtle way, while in Whatever Works, the interaction with the audience is more direct and explicit. Boris talks to an alleged room of a movie theater that is full of people ready to listen to his story. He makes assumptions about the members of this audience and directs his initial monologue – and his epilogue – towards them.
Lastly, it is believed that the brilliancy of Annie Hall resides in the exploration of ordinary moments in a romantic relationship. Many times in Annie Hall we are faced with instants that are not special, but that later turn into good memories. We see that, for example, in the lobster scene, where Alvy and Annie are trying to kill and cook a live lobster: when performed by the two inexperienced and clumsy lovers, the action, irrelevant to the plot, becomes funny and tender. That oftentimes happens in Whatever Works, too: Boris and Melody are portrayed while eating, sightseeing, buying fish in Chinatown or biking through the park; Marietta and her two lovers are portrayed in the kitchen, choosing photographs to add to Marietta’s gallery exhibit. In the end of the movie, the entire group of couples and lovers of any kind is shown participating at a small New Year’s Eve gathering. Therefore, in this movie we can find a subtle celebration of the ordinary, especially in romantic relationships, just like we did with Annie Hall.
There is also one subtle similarity between the London-based movie Match Point and Whatever Works: although Match Point and Whatever Works are two entirely different films, they are connected by one common thing: the role that luck plays in one’s life. In Match point, luck first plays a role in making Chris become a member of the English high society; once he has this high social status, luck once again plays a role in his life. Luck saves Chris, and prevents him from being incarcerated for the crime that he has, in fact, committed. In “Whatever Works” nothing is quite as extreme in terms of unethical crimes, but luck is again a life changer: luck literally saves Boris’s life when he jumps out of the window for the second time. Luck also contributes to Boris finding the love of his life, Helena, who he falls on top of while trying to commit suicide.
As far as film reception is concerned, Whatever Works received mixed reviews. In fact, only 49% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes give the movie positive reviews, but IMDb users think the film is rather a 7.2/10.
Solomon from The Guardian has a positive approach towards the movie. He states that “The ragtime montages, the riffs on chance and death may all be familiar, but [he] still finds it more rewarding and thoughtful than a hundred of the high-concept dim-coms Hollywood keeps churning out.” A.O. Scott from the New York Times has, instead, a less forgiving opinion: “None of it works. Or it works too hard. Whatever.”, he states. Both reviews are justifiable: the movie looks and feels familiar, and sometimes even somewhat forced.
Harris from the New York Magazine is particularly appreciative of the comedy side of the film, and praises its Jewish creators, Allen and David: ““You are a very difficult man to live with!” Boris’s exhausted wife tells him just before he jumps out the window. Now that’s (Jewish) comedy”, he states. (Harris)
Personally, I found the movie to be extremely entertaining, very current, very “real”. I thought the comedy was poignant, and I found the depressing, “tragedy” aspects to be very authentic. The sarcasm felt just a little overdone at times, but overall, the dialogues were very well executed and the characters well developed. Whatever Works was one of my favorite films from this class.
Works Cited
Woody Allen, Whatever Works, 2009.
Woody Allen, Annie Hall, 1977.
Woody Allen, Manhattan, 1979.
Woody Allen, Match Point, 2005.
Mark Harris Published May 24, 2009. “Twilight of the Tummlers.” New York Magazine. N.p., 24 May 2009. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.
Bailey, Peter J., and Sam B. Girgus. A Companion to Woody Allen. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013. Print.
Solomons, Jason. “Whatever Works Film Review.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 26 June 2010. Web. 14 Mar. 2017.
Scott, A. O. “Kvetch Your Enthusiasm.” n.d.: n. pag. The New York Times. The New York Times, 18 June 2009. Web. 14 Mar. 2017.