Woody being Woody

Rating: 7/10 (28 January 2012)

Woody Allen, for better or for worse, is always going to be Woody Allen. He carved out his niche in film history just by being himself. Annie Hall is a film which he wrote, directed and starred in. The character he plays is named Alvy Singer but let's be honest, it's Woody playing Woody with all that entails, all the quirks that are part of the Woody Allen package. Alvy's a neurotic, Jewish comedian who calls New York City home. New York is more than home really, it's a big part of who Alvy is, the only place he could ever be. Alvy insulates himself from the world, the woman he loves embraces it. That woman is of course Annie Hall. She's a quirky, ditzy aspiring singer. Eventually she will set her sights on California. California? Oh no, this is something Alvy is just not equipped to handle. So the relationship falls apart. But we already knew that because Alvy told us right at the beginning of the film that the relationship was already over. Allen plays with time throughout the film, jumping from the end to the middle to the beginning and back to the end again. Flashbacks to Alvy's childhood shed some light on what made this man the neurotic bundle of nerves he has become. Along the way there are plenty of laughs but some serious moments too. This is not just a slapstick farce, it's a movie that's got some real heart to it. You can't help but feel for poor Alvy Singer.
Of course Alvy is not the easiest man to embrace so you certainly sympathize with Annie too. Loving Alvy Singer is quite a challenge. If anyone's up to the task it's the supremely flighty Annie. In playing the part Diane Keaton is the wonderful yin to Woody's yang. Opposites really do attract I guess. Keaton and Allen have wonderful chemistry, playing off one another beautifully. There are times when Annie is perhaps a little too much of a ditz to really take seriously but you remind yourself that this is after all a Woody Allen comedy. Seriousness is appreciated at times but certainly not always required. The film is not just one joke after another, in fact there are plenty of stretches with no jokes at all, times where the story is allowed to breathe. And simple though it may be it really is a very good story.
Annie Hall is not a film to leave you doubled over with laughter. Oh sure, there are some truly hilarious moments. Alvy's skewering of some pretentious twit standing behind him in line at the movies is as good as comedy gets. Allen makes use of all kinds of comedic devices, paying no attention to the rules most Hollywood filmmakers adhere to. In a Woody Allen film there are no rules. He'll break the fourth wall, he'll use subtitles to reveal characters' thoughts, he'll even toss in an animation sequence. Anything goes. Not everything works perfectly but it all works well enough to make the end result very satisfying. There are so many little moments, throwaway lines which are unimportant in the grand scheme of things but which add great flavor to the comedic stew. The guy who forgot his mantra? Priceless. There is the sense that once the movie settles in it could use a few more laughs along the way. It never quite hits the heights of that movie line sequence from very early on in the film. But there is plenty here to embrace, not least the two great characters of Alvy Singer and Annie Hall, portrayed so wonderfully by Allen and Keaton. Two great performers creating two unique characters in a love story only Woody Allen could tell.