Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- sardonic
- witty
- irreverent
- date night
- lazy sunday
What critics said
Critics found the film intermittently pleasant and funny but broadly viewed it as a stale, under-refreshed return to Woody Allen's familiar ideas and dialogue.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Boris repeatedly argues that religion, relationships, and existence are governed by randomness and lack ultimate meaning.
Boris takes Melodie into his apartment and actively molds her worldly views around his own philosophical outlook.
The reclusive lifelong New Yorker Boris forms an unlikely bond with naive young runaway Melodie from Mississippi.
Boris is a lifelong New York resident whose rants and relationships unfold within an eccentric metropolitan social world.
Films like Whatever Works, and why
Annie Hall
neurotic urban romantic comedy built around philosophical dialogue, mismatched partners, and eccentric New York characters
Manhattan
witty relationship comedy featuring older intellectual protagonists, unconventional romance, and metropolitan social satire
Enough Said
warm, talkative romantic comedy about unlikely pairings, self-reinvention, and skepticism toward conventional relationships
Movie Details
- Director
- Woody Allen
- Release Date
- 2009-06-19
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (1888)
Cast
- Larry David
- Evan Rachel Wood
- Michael McKean
- Conleth Hill
- Patricia Clarkson
- Ed Begley Jr.
- Carolyn McCormick
- Henry Cavill
- John Gallagher Jr.
- Christopher Evan Welch
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Whatever Works about?
- A misanthropic New York intellectual reluctantly becomes the guide and unlikely companion of a runaway young woman whose arrival unsettles his theories about love and existence.
- What is Whatever Works like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Whatever Works as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Whatever Works violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Whatever Works.
- What did critics think of Whatever Works?
- Critics found the film intermittently pleasant and funny but broadly viewed it as a stale, under-refreshed return to Woody Allen's familiar ideas and dialogue.
- Which films are like Whatever Works?
- Films with a similar feel include Annie Hall, Manhattan, and Enough Said.
- How long is Whatever Works?
- Whatever Works runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch Whatever Works?
- In United States, Whatever Works streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel.
