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Woody Allen hopes Whatever Works
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Allen and David; Sony Pictures Classics
When initially announced, Whatever Works sounded like an absolute Dream Team pairing: Woody Allen and Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm alum Larry David together, finally! And it still might be, however that initial and very bright sheen has started to dull slightly in the cold light of day.
The first sign that all might not be right with Woody’s first return to his muse, his first love, his New York in nearly a decade was the revelation that the screenplay was dug out from his archives, and that David is in a role originally intended for Zero Mostel. 30 years ago Allen was on an outrageous creative bent, the one-two punch that was Annie Hall and Manhattan putting him up into the stratosphere with cinema’s greats, and this script dates from the shooting of Hall. But what puts a slight damper on the story’s origins is the prolific one-script-a-year writer-director boasting that he barely touched or updated the manuscript prior to filming, and indeed only opted to dust it off to circumvent the threat of an actors guild strike. The lack of any real updates or polish is unfortunately telling from both what’s available online, and the finished article playing long and large in the form of its appearance at the Tribeca Film Festival in April.
And then there is the film itself. Although laughter is subjective, silent theatres are not good theatres when it comes to a flat-out attempted return to his comedic roots. Allen seems ready for his return to Europe for another extended sojourn (of which has already been arranged thanks to a 3-film deal recently cemented), and for the locations that have duly provided him with a late-career high.
Bottom line: Larry David featuring as Allen’s alter-ego is reason enough to disregard all of the above, throw down $10 and let caution fly. The pairing is tantalizing - we can only hope New York City has reenergized Allen’s creative juices to meet the level of expectations that such a double-act duly brings.
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