New Woody Allen film at the Little Theatre

By Koty Neelis
Western Herald

Kalamazoo Film Society will present, “Whatever Works,” a new movie written and directed by Woody Allen beginning Friday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. at the Little Theatre.

Larry David (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) plays an eccentric New Yorker who abandons his upper class life to lead 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.

According to Mike Marchak, KFS president, this script was created in the 1970s but put on hold due to a death of Allen’s close friend who was meant to star in the movie.

“He [Allen] had written it in the late 70s for his friend and comic actor, Zero Mostel. Mr. Mostel was in the original “The Producers,” on the stage and screen, playing the first Max Bialystock. Mostel died in 1977 at the age of 62 and the script sat on Woody’s desk until now,” Marchak said.

Marchak feels this is great role for David to play.

“The story’s central character, Boris Yellnikoff, in his 60s, is a quantum physicist who missed out on a Nobel Prize, and is also a raging grouch. Boris decides to leave affluent life behind and live a more bohemian lifestyle in the Village where he meets a young, homeless woman who has run away from her Mississippi home,” he said.

“To replace Zero Mostel, Mr. Allen cast Larry David as Boris. For all of the Larry David fans of HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” who better to play a curmudgeon like Boris but Mr. David? Woody could have just as easily played Boris but Mr. David brings a kind of authority to Boris that Mr. Allen might not necessarily possess.”

This film is similar to other Woody Allen films in its comic form, but also slightly different with a little bit of bitterness thrown in.

“Mr. Allen’s latest films have dealt with various kinds of relationships, some noir-like, and some just slices of life. This script in ‘Whatever Works’ also involves love, but throw in a lot of zingers that come flying out of the mouth of Boris, who thrives on rancor. Like his older films, this one, too, highlights Mr. Allen’s love for New York. Sprinkle this with mismatched couples, the sweet showing the bitter the better side of life and to quote Mr. Allen, ‘whatever works,’” Marchak said.

Show times for “Whatever Works” are: Friday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 10 at 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 11 at 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Tickets are $5 for general admission and $3 for students. Running time is 92 minutes, and the film is rated PG-13 for adult language and some sexual content.  

The Little Theatre is located on the corner of Oakland Drive and Oliver Street. Free parking is available behind the building with extra parking across both Oakland and Oliver.

For additional information on this, and other films, please visit The Kalamazoo Film Society Web site at kalfilmsociety.org.

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Posted by heraldstaff on Oct 7 2009. Filed under Weekend Scene. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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