Whatever Works

Woody Allen is nothing if not prolific and is back with his yearly cinematic offering.

New Yorker Boris Yellnikoff (Larry David) wouldn’t hesitate to impose his views on intellect, religion, and worthlessness of existence to anyone within earshot. He’s a crotchety, recently divorced old guy with little to live for. When Melodie (Evan Rachel Wood), a southern runaway, meets Boris and convinces him to let her stay in his apartment, she adds a little light to his otherwise dark existence.

Despite their 40+ year age gap, the two get married. They seem oddly content until Melodie’s parents show up and complicate things.

Larry David fits into the Woody Allen persona well, but isn’t as likeable as the characters Allen once played himself. Boris can be downright abhorrent. Wood is cute and likeable, but her southern shtick wears thin. And she’s given some really, really bad jokes.

Story structure is helter-skelter at best. The first half of the picture focuses on Boris and his ramblings, but the second half takes lengthy diversions with Melodie’s infidelity and her mother (Patricia Clarkson) discovering herself.

The conclusions come too quickly and neatly. Some jokes fall flat. And no one makes a better Woody Allen than Woody Allen.

This is disappointing because parts of the movie are charming and poignant. There are some good laughs too. The main point the protagonist is trying to make is that though life is miserable and worthless, you should hang on to whatever bit of happiness you can find. “Whatever works,” he says.

And while that’s a nice sentiment, I walked out of the theater thinking “whatever.”

- Eschew It

The Proposal

The Proposal looks like it’ll be the big romantic comedy of the summer. But it’s standard fare for the genre.

Domineering editor-in-chief Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock), forces her assistant Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her to keep her Visa status in the U.S. and avoid deportation to Canada.

Andrew only agrees under the condition that he is promoted to editor. When the government investigates the possibility of fraud, the two must spend a weekend at Andrew’s family’s home in Alaska to make their relationship appear legit.

Andrew has a couple subplots involving gaining his father’s approval and a missed opportunity with a sweet ex-girlfriend. These are nothing amazing but help to flesh out Reynold’s character and their world.

This film is full of familiar rom-com material. There’s a cute old lady. Ridiculous comedy set pieces. The inevitable third act break up. None of this stuff really worked for me. I’ll admit, what drew me in was Ryan Reynolds.

Reynolds brings his enjoyable smarmy humor to the role, and as usual, is a pleasure to watch. This has been a good year for him, first proving himself as a decent actor in Adventureland, getting a small part in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and now starring alongside Bullock.

On the outside, Bullock is a heartless shrew, but there is a reason for that. We do get to see her more human side as she warms up to Reynolds. But her character development is a bit of a mess. She goes from a soulless she-devil to an uninteresting goof and back. I bought her as the callous boss, but the rest didn’t feel as natural.

Their characters aren’t terribly deep or anything, but they’re more than one sided, cardboard cutout people up there on the screen. But Bullock’s transitions were still a bit iffy.

Rounding out the cast are Craig T. Nelson and the lovely Mary Steenburgen as Andrew’s parents and Betty White as grandma. The most enjoyable supporting role was by Oscar Nuñez of The Office as the town Jack-of-all-trades, whose duties include exotic dancer.

This movie isn’t going to stick with you. It’s one you enjoy, go home and forget about. It depends entirely on your tolerance for romantic comedies. If you like them, you’ll like this, if you hate them, you’ll hate this.

I’m kind of a sucker for them once in a while, but this one is nothing special. It wouldn’t kill you to see it with your girlfriend, but be prepared for yet another tragically flawed romantic comedy. Just make sure you know how you feel about your own proposal.

- Eschew It

I Love You, Man

It can be really awkward meeting new people. It’s not something I’ve ever been good at, so I can relate to the main character’s plight in this film. But when the film itself becomes awkward to watch, this comedy is less than humorous.

Real estate agent Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) has always been a “girlfriend guy.” He puts so much effort into his relationships that he lets his male friends fall by the wayside. So when he proposes to his girlfriend, Zooey (Rashida Jones), and the two begin to make wedding plans, he realizes that he’s going to be all alone up at the altar. Peter goes on a series of “man-dates” to find a suitable best man. All hope seems lost until he meets Sydney (Jason Segel) at an open house. The two quickly become friends, but their friendship creates friction between Peter and Zooey.

I Love You, Man shows its strength with its realtionships. Peter and Zooey’s quarrels feel like things real couples could find relatable, like jealously over spending time with other friends. I also like the “bromance” concept, and the relationship between the two male leads is cute. But the movie’s biggest plus is Jason Segel, who is perfectly side-splitting playing the carefree loser, Sydney. And while this role isn’t complex, he shows that he can play different kinds of characters from his other work in How I Met Your Mother and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

However, Paul Rudd is just tolerable. He’s likeable and relatable, but he just can’t get the laughs that Segel can. One particularly un-funny running gag involves Peter becoming tongue tied and making up awkward words and nicknames for Sydney. It was funny the first few times, but they really needed to know when to stop. In places it was almost painful to watch Rudd’s inexplicably nerdy behavior. Besides Rudd, the whole movie feels a little too awkward for comfort. And for an R rated comedy, the film plays it too safe. There is nothing incredibly surprising, and the third act falls into cliché. I Love You, Man is funny at times but struggles to consistently keep laughs coming.

- Eschew It