Woody Allen's fresh, intelligent, and innovative romantic comedy.

Rating: 8/10 (12 January 2014)

With this film Allen had successfully made the transition from comedian to full blown auteur, and here he employs a variety of techniques and gimmicks - even animation - to create an unconventional way of looking at human relationships, and the neuroses that can ultimately damage them. It's very much his distinct voice, as he offers many musings on many topics, not just how people relate to each other, but the whole idea of N.Y.C. vs. L.A. He offers some juicy roles to a variety of familiar faces, and the actors make strong impressions no matter how brief their screen time might be. Certainly he gave the role of a lifetime to the endearing Diane Keaton, who firmly establishes a quirky and lovely screen persona.
Allen plays Alvy Singer, a successful comedian who, through his friend Rob (Tony Roberts), makes the acquaintance of nightclub singer and aspiring actress Annie Hall (Ms. Keaton). The film charts the evolution of their romance and the various events that transpire to drive wedges between the two of them.
In the meantime, there are some absolutely brilliant moments, especially as Allen plays with the conventions of movie-making, sometimes falling back on that old tradition of acknowledging the audience and really *involving* them. Particularly witty are the way Annie "removes" herself from a bout of lovemaking, the cameo by Marshall McLuhan, the flashbacks, flash forwards, subtitles to indicate the characters' internal monologues, and split screen. It's then no wonder that fans consider this to be the actor / filmmakers' finest film.
Of course, it's also fun to play "spot the familiar face" with this large cast; the cast also includes Carol Kane, Paul Simon, Shelley Duvall, Janet Margolin, Colleen Dewhurst, and Christopher Walken, and in featured roles and bits the likes of John Glover, John Dennis Johnston, Laurie Bird, Jeff "I forgot my mantra" Goldblum, Shelley Hack, Beverly D'Angelo, Tracey Walter, and in a long shot near the end, Sigourney Weaver in her film debut.
One will notice that there's no music score, but you'll hardly miss having one: the comedy and drama work well enough on their own without any sort of accompaniment.
Eight out of 10.