Larry David (right) stars in this Woody Allen-directed film Courtesy of Kino Świat

Apparently tired of playing himself, Woody Allen has enlisted someone else to do it in “Whatever Works” – Larry David of “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” fame. David plays Boris, a brilliant but abrasive misanthrope who, following a failed suicide attempt, finds himself living with Melody (Evan Rachel Wood), an innocent young runaway from Mississippi. Boris does his best to convince the girl of the futility of life and the idiocy of mankind, and they eventually come to depend on one another – until Melody’s irate mother appears on the scene.

The problem with this film is that there are no real characters, just caricatures, and pretty annoying ones at that. Boris’ grumbling could be funny if he weren’t such an unlikable guy, and although Melody’s simplicity yields some amusing one-liners, other members of this talented ensemble cast are ill-used.

The end result is a disappointing movie that lacks the comic subtlety of Allen’s best works and quickly degenerates into farce. A shame, but it doesn’t “work.”