Woody's Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (21 February 2003)

ANNIE HALL (1977) **** Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Shelley Duvall, Colleen Dewhurst, Christopher Walken, Carol Kane, Janet Margolin. Some say this is Woody's best film and I'm hard-pressed to differ: chronic New York neurotic/comedy writer Alvy Singer can't commit to anything except his own misery and falls in love (and meets his match in psychoses) with Annie Hall (Keaton in her Oscar-winning role), the Waspy flibbertigibbet who wants more out of life but she's not sure what. Oscars also for Allen's direction, his screenplay (co-written by Marshall Brickman) and Best Picture. Gorgeously shot in black and white by Gordon Willis. Look quickly for Jeff Goldblum's cameo ("I forgot my mantra") at Paul Simon's So. Cal. Party, John Glover in a flashback party scene with Annie, Shelley Hack in a sidewalk scene, veteran character actor Tracey Walter and Beverly D'Angelo in the sitcom tape Roberts is sweetening with a laugh track in an edit bay, Woody's longtime friend and future producer Jean Doumanian in the coke scene, and at the film's end Sigourney Weaver (trust me it's her, but it is in a long shot and no dialogue) as Alvy's latest girlfriend. Best reaction shot: Allen with Keaton and Walken in a car after Walken has proclaimed his sudden urges of death. Also, I too wish I could do what Allen does in shutting up a movie-line pontificator like he does with media expert Marashall McLuhan.