#241: Annie Hall

Release Date: April 20th, 1977

Format: DVD

Written by: Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman

Directed by: Woody Allen

4 Stars

Most fans of Annie Hall have it categorized somewhere between “classic” and “perfect movie,” and worthy of consideration for best romantic comedy ever. That’s if, of course, they’ve successfully compartmentalized the films of Woody Allen from the increasingly indefensible actual Woody Allen (those latest photos of him and Epstein hanging out on one of his sets is nauseating). 

But let’s say you have successfully separated the art from the artist. If that’s the case, Annie Hall is undeniably a great comedy. Utilizing just about every filmmaking trick in the book, from split screens to breaking the fourth wall to nonlinear storytelling and a bunch of others, Woody captures the rise and fall of a romantic relationship, with an emphasis on moments.    

It’s an insightful decision on Woody’s part, focusing on moments. They’re so especially poignant, and sometimes brutal, long after a relationship ends. It’s like they’re imprinted on your soul forever. For Alvy and Annie, one of cinema’s all-time great couples, it’s moments like their afternoon cooking lobsters, or standing in line for a 4-hour documentary about the Holocaust, or killing a spider in the bathroom at 3AM. 

Even though these moments are peculiar, Woody understands that they are also relatable. Maybe it’s not lobsters and Holocaust documentaries and bathroom spiders, but all lovers have small moments where life brings them closer together in interesting ways. 

Alvy has a great line at the end of the movie: “You know how you're always tryin' t' get things to come out perfect in art? Because, uh, it's real difficult in life.”

This gets at the central theme of Annie Hall, and also reveals an unfortunate truth about the man who made it as well.