Whatever Works

This movie is hilarious as it follows Boris Yellnikoff through his bohemian existence as an under-appreciated genius-turned abusive children’s chess instructor who genuinely believes that all others are intellectually inferior. Larry David (aka. George Costanza, aka co-creator of Seinfeld) plays the eccentric, self-titled genius whose vast understanding of the human condition has turned him into a cynical, self-righteous hypochondriac. Written and directed by Woody Allen, the lead role in ‘Whatever Works’ seems to have been created specifically for David, as he plays a more high-strung and odd version of his autobiographical character in the TV comedy ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm.’

After Melody, a young and impressionable ‘nitwit’ from the Deep South, enters his life, the assumption is that her overly-enthusiastic presence will bring Boris out of his dark, self-imposed, semi-suicidal existence. In fact, the contrary occurs, and the young girl is so entranced by his intellectual magnificence that she falls for him, despite his disdain, repulsion and downright resistance to her advances.

For a 90-minute long film, a lot happens as more ‘idiotic’ characters appear and complicate the simple life Boris has built for himself. They interweave themselves in each other’s lives, ultimately proving (according to Boris) that humanity is a failed species. Really, what Allen has demonstrated here is the complexity of the human condition, and the ability for even the most rigid and indoctrinated of people to discover their true selves despite a lifetime of conservatism and sublimated passion. Boris, of course, does not change, and is just as jaded at the end of the film as he was in the beginning.

This film is a must-watch, if only for the clever, witty, side-splitting, monotonously-delivered one-liners from David’s character.
[image from http://www.nypost.com/]