Writer/director Woody Allen has balanced a career of neurotic comedies and darker dramas over his four decade career and he has won accolades for both.  His new film, Whatever Works, is in the lighter vein and would have felt right at home in the director’s prolific period of the 1970s, so it comes as no surprise that the script was actually written in the ’70s.  Written for Zero Mostel and then put aside after his death, the script was dusted off by Allen during the writer’s strike.  Although it is far from his best work, Whatever Works is a return to the kind of movie that first made the director’s reputation.

The film stars Larry David of Curb Your Enthusiasm and Seinfeld fame as writer, star, and the inspiration for the character of George Costanza.  Here, he basically acts as a stand-in for Allen in a role that the director would have certainly played himself had he been a bit younger.  Still, David gets to blend the character with his own persona.  The casting of David works so well that you have to wonder why the two never paired up before.  The combination of a feeling of superiority and neurosis is a perfect fit for an Allen protagonist.

David plays Boris Yellnikoff, a self-described “genius” who used to play the family man until he just got fed up one day and decided to kill himself… but an awning ruined his leap out the window.  Now he pretty much just sits around and complains about everything and everyone.  For a living, he teaches kids to play chess, but has no qualms about berating their intelligence right to their faces.

One day while walking home, he is approached by a young woman who is on her own in the city and begging for food and shelter.  Against his every impulse, he takes her in and becomes a sort of mentor figure.  Over time he grows more attracted to the young woman and they eventually marry.

The May-December romance seems to work well until her recently-separated, religious-fanatic parents start showing up on their doorstep.  The small-town folks soon find themselves drawn to the different lifestyles the big city offers them, but still, heaven forbid their little girl should stay married to this septuagenarian.  So, a plot to introduce their daughter to a man of proper age begins.

In addition to being a return to the form of his popular comedies of the ’70s, Whatever Works also marks a return for Woody Allen to his beloved New York after a five year stint in Europe.  Although the decade has seen some moderately funny Allen films, this is probably the best.  Perhaps the short break from New York was just what he needed.

The film uses the classic Allen device of having the protagonist break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience.  It may be overused a bit, but it does provide some of the film’s most humorous moments given the fact that the rest of the characters just think he is nuts.

In addition to David’s very funny performances, I was immensely impressed with Evan Rachel Wood, who plays Melodie, the young woman that shows up on his doorstep.  She seemed to just disappear into the character of this ditzy, but kind, former beauty pageant contestant with a strong southern accent.  Even knowing from the opening credits that she was in the film, it took me awhile before I realized it was her.

The general public used to today’s gross-out comedies and action spectacles may not be entirely seduced by this small comedy, but for fans of both the director and the star, I am confident in saying that Whatever Works, well, works.

Whatever Works is rated PG-13 for “sexual situations including dialogue, brief nude images and thematic material.”  Some nude photos at an art gallery and the film’s exploration of different sexual relationships lead to this appropriate rating.

Courtesy of a local publicist, Jeff attended a promotional screening of Whatever Works.