Whatever Works

film by Allen [2009]

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Last updated

July 18, 2026

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Whatever Works is a 2009 film directed by Woody Allen, set in New York City. The story features Larry David as a reclusive Manhattanite who becomes involved with a young, homeless girl, played by Evan Rachel Wood. Their relationship begins to soften his hardened exterior.1

The film is part of Allen's broader body of work, which often explores themes of relationships, philosophy, and urban life. While Whatever Works returned to a familiar New York setting, other films from this period, like Midnight in Paris (2011), achieved significant commercial success and critical acclaim, demonstrating Allen's continued ability to connect with audiences.1

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Henry Cavill
The Tudors and films of the early 2010s
…and the Woody Allen comedy Whatever Works (2009). After The Tudors Cavill proved his skill as an action star, playing Greek hero Theseus in Immortals (2011) and the son of a CIA agent (played by Bruce Willis) in The Cold Light of Day (2012).
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…and the Woody Allen comedy Whatever Works (2009). After The Tudors Cavill proved his skill as an action star, playing Greek hero Theseus in Immortals (2011) and the son of a CIA agent (played by Bruce Willis) in The Cold Light of Day (2012).
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Larry David
Other work
…in the Woody Allen film Whatever Works. After a small role in The Three Stooges (2012), David cowrote and appeared in the HBO film Clear History (2013), a comedy about a marketing executive who sells his stake in a start-up that later becomes a multibillion-dollar company. In 2015 David made…
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…in the Woody Allen film Whatever Works. After a small role in The Three Stooges (2012), David cowrote and appeared in the HBO film Clear History (2013), a comedy about a marketing executive who sells his stake in a start-up that later becomes a multibillion-dollar company. In 2015 David made…
Read More

Woody Allen
The 2010s, 2020s, and renewed controversy
Whatever Works (2009) returned to the New York City setting of so many of Allen’s films. Larry David was magnificently irascible in a role that Allen might normally have played himself, a cranky Manhattanite who takes in a homeless teenage girl (Evan Rachel Wood) whose…
Read More
Whatever Works (2009) returned to the New York City setting of so many of Allen’s films. Larry David was magnificently irascible in a role that Allen might normally have played himself, a cranky Manhattanite who takes in a homeless teenage girl (Evan Rachel Wood) whose…
Read More