One of Allen's Finest

Rating: 10/10 (28 October 2009)

This one is a must for serious Woody Allen fans. Those wanting to explore a new genre or trying to find out why Allen is hailed as a genius filmmaker shouldn't miss Annie Hall either.
Annie Hall is set in New York and Los Angeles in the mid-70s. The story is about Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) and Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). The relationship between the two protagonists is the crux of the movie. In between, we are given snippets of their lives before they met each other. Alvy Singer, a comedian, with two divorces runs into Annie Hall, a budding actress-singer, during a friendly game of tennis. They start dating and have a passionate affair, only to find out later that they have little in common. An amiable split, getting back together, being friends, trying to get back together; theirs is a see-saw relationship of two neurotic characters clashing with one another.
In true Woody Allen fashion, the characters are far from normal. Alvy Singer is perpetually nervous (a trait he attributes to growing up under a roller-coaster), while Annie Hall needs to smoke grass to enjoy sex. Throughout the film, Woody Allen, through his character, talks to us, the audience, and on a couple of occasions brings in someone else from the plot to talk to us as well.
The central genre of the movie is comedy. With Woody Allen at its helm, one can expect goofy sequences and numerous one-liners. Woody Allen's comic one-liners have achieved cult status and here are a few one-liners from the film: Annie Hall saying, "I can't have sex tonight. I'm singing tomorrow and need to rest my voice." Alvy Singer saying, "Don't knock masturbation, its sex with someone I really love." And, "Sex is the most fun I've had without laughing." And, on Beverly Hills being clean, "They don't throw their garbage away, they make it into TV shows." And that's just a sampler.
Annie Hall was released in 1977 and is one of Allen's most loved and appreciated movie. At the 1977 Oscars, it won numerous awards like Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Woody Allen was also nominated for the Best Actor award.