David's human sandpaper delivery gives a full, deep voice to Allen's reckless misanthropy.
Comment
07/25/09
Whatever Works (2009)
47
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:123
Fresh:58
Rotten:65
Average Rating:5.4/10
Consensus: Based upon a script written in the 1970s, Woody Allen's Whatever Works suffers from a lack of fresh ideas.
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins
Genre: Comedies
US Box Office: $5,183,644
Synopsis: The New York-based humor of Woody Allen and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIAM’s Larry David seems like a natural match, and the pair unite for the first time in this comedy. WHATEVER WORKS follows a rich man... [More]
Starring: Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Clarkson, Ed Begley
Director: Woody Allen
Reviews for Whatever Works
Whatever Works doesn't have the exotic flair of last year's Oscar-winning Vicky Cristina Barcelona, but what it lacks in sexy accents and pretension, it makes up for in sheer laughability and entertainment value.
07/17/09
This crotchety comedy generates consistent laughs through its sarcastic nihilism and colourful characters
07/16/09
David and Allen seem to be straining to create caricatures of the other's screen persona - and the results are inevitably self-negating, a comedic black hole from which not even laughter can escape.
07/10/09
If Annie Hall put forth the idea of art making right that which couldn't be made right in life, Whatever Works is that idea put into practice.
07/08/09
Woody's latest shrewdly upends the filmmaker's own comic pessimisms
07/07/09
Whatever Works is bound to seem familiar, but [Allen's] found a winning formula, even if this film's title suggests a less than fastidious approach to getting it right.
07/06/09
[It] goes from burned-out Allen motif to a mannered dinner theater production in little less than 10 minutes. And it stays there.
07/06/09
Consider our enthusiasm curbed.
07/03/09
Whatever Works makes more of a demand on a viewer's willingness to suspend disbelief than movies about vampires or giant robots.
07/03/09
After the fiercely enjoyable Vicky Christina Barcelona, this return to New York City is a letdown, though not without a few charms.
07/03/09
This acidic, patronizing and painfully unfunny comedy nearly undoes all the good will that the veteran screenwriter/director had recouped with his later-period, Europe-bound mysteries and dramas.
07/03/09
The result is a witty, well-played work without an adequate center. If you can get past that, Whatever Works does.
07/03/09
Unlike last year’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which felt fresh and contemporary, Whatever Works seems dated. Allen has covered these themes so often that they provide few surprises.
07/03/09
It is a once-more-into-the-void cosmic shrug of the shoulders by a man whose films, almost more than any other American director's, reflect his world view.
07/03/09
Whatever Works isn't topnotch Woody Allen, but it's still immensely funny.
07/03/09
The update isn't entirely successful and the film has unignorable flaws. But enough of the zest and freshness of the original creation are still evident in Whatever Works so that it can stand comfortably alongside other, better Allen films.
07/03/09
Whatever Works isn't deep, but with Grandpa Woody, you accept the warmed over, the recycled, just relieved he hasn't made a spectacle of himself.
07/03/09
Whatever Works won’t set the world on fire but it has more than its share of riotously hysterical moments and delicious absurdities.
07/03/09
It's a movie that feels assembled from the leftovers Allen found in his fridge.
07/03/09
Latest News for Whatever Works
June 18, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Year One Fails To Beget Laughs
This week at the movies, we've got Biblical bloopers (Year One, starring Jack Black and Michael Cera) and an engagement of convenience (The Proposal, starring Sandra Bullock and... More...
May 10, 2009:
Trailer Bulletin: Whatever Works 
Larry David steps in as Woody Allen's latest on-screen surrogate in "Whatever Works," due out June 19. Watch the trailer now! More...
May 10, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review
More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
Dressing Wonderland
Tim Burton's costume designer talks to Movieline about her long collaboration with the filmmaker and Johnny Depp.
Wes Anderson on Fox
The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Win Glee DVDs
We've got 20 copies of the hit TV series' Pilot Episode to giveaway.
Win tickets to Cold Souls
Double passes up for grabs to the new comedy starring Paul Giamatti.
Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter
Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.
Competitions
Win Star Wars prizes
Enough Prequel, Original Trilogy and Family Guy DVDs to fill a space cruiser
Win the entire 007 collection
Everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace could be yours.
Win Fight Club Special Editions and more
We're giving away the 10th Anniversary Blu-ray, plus Braveheart and the Rocky collection
IGN RSS Feeds