The pairing of two of entertainment’s most neurotic funny-men, Woody Allen and Larry David, is long overdue in my eyes. Although it was probably the little fact that David is a self confessed non-actor (he’s been in a couple of things in bit parts, with his character in the non-scripted Curb Your Enthusiasm basically being himself) that the pairing hasn’t happened yet. By the look of the poster and trailer for Allen’s newest romantic comedy entitled Whatever Works, this project was probably just too perfectly suited for Mr. David to resist.
Whatever Works sees the veteran writer/director Woody Allen return to his traditional New York setting after being off making movies in such places as the UK (with the dreadfully overrated Match Point) and Spain (with the delightful Vicky Cristina Barcelona). The film tells the story of:
Eccentric, upper class New Yorker Boris Yellnikoff (Larry David) who abandons his comfortable lifestyle in favor of leading a more bohemian existence. After meeting a young Southern girl and her family, he discovers that life among the nonconformists isn’t quite as carefree as he’d envisioned it to be.
It looks like a great fit for David’s style and a great way to ease him into proper acting that was pretty much unknown to him up until now. Allen looks like he’s created yet another charming, insightful, and genuinely funny film set within a location he’s proven with the likes of Annie Hall and Manhattan that he’s very comfortable with. Check out the poster and trailer:
I love that poster – simple yet effective. But as much as I like it, there’s something crucial missing. Do you notice it’s absence? A little thing called the name of the writer/director, Woody Allen. Although his name appears in the small print at the bottom, who’s really gonna’ notice that at a glance? Those who don’t read up daily on movie info will look at the poster and see the guy from Curb Your Enthusiasm as the center piece, as well as the names of Evan Rachel Wood, Ed Begley Jr. and Patricia Clarkson (amongst others) with the title of the movie but they will have no idea who directed it. After it says “A new comedy” (which is a lame tagline, unless it has some deep meaning within the actual movie), it should also logically say “by Woody Allen.”
Or am I wrong?…
It may just be personal taste but the trailer for the movie looks fantastic. It doesn’t hurt that Larry David’s middle name may as well be “God” as far as I’m concerned, and Allen rarely lets me down (as I hinted at, Match Point severely did – what a trite, self-important movie that is). I’ve heard from some of those who’ve been lucky enough to see the film already (mostly at ShoWest) that the trailer gives away a crucial monologue, but I don’t see how else they could have resisted using that to advertise the thing.
If this partnership works out as well as it has the potential to, then I could see this easily turning into a recurring thing. I’m sure that I’m not the only one who thinks these two were born to work together on a film, so I really hope it works out.
Going by the poster and trailer it’s looking very likely…
What are your thoughts on the poster and official trailer for the movie? Do you like the look of it or does it not jive with your tastes?
Whatever Works is scheduled to be released on June 19th this year in the US. No UK release date has been set as of yet.
Sources: /Film, All Movie and IMP Awards
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