Another Woody musing on love & life

Rating: 10/10 (1 March 2001)

Long after its release, "Annie Hall" has certainly earned all the accolades it's received over the years. I don't disagree with the Oscar attention it garnered in 1977, but I am surprised; given how Woody has always been an acquired taste for many. I don't consider this to be Allen's best film (neither does he), but it certainly is one of his accomplished, entertaining films. Here, Woody plays Alvy Singer, a professional comedian reflecting on his relationship with the title character (wonderfully played, as always, by Diane Keaton), as well as reminiscing on his own WWII childhood in Cony Island and how it's molded him into the person he is today.
This truly is one of Allen's most ambitious works from the 70's. It molds together many different stylistic elements (split-screen, animation, directly addressing the camera, "mental" sub-titles), which is unusual for Allen. His popularity over the years has been partly built on the construction of intricate worlds & relationships conveyed heavily through rapid dialogue, without an abundance of visual & musical elements to take in (with the exception of "Manhattan" and a couple of others). What also makes Woody such a unique talent is that his films are so urban, the people in his work and the discoveries they experience do not regularly occur in Ohio or Texas. That may make many corn-fed Americans understandably weary of the Woodman. Many people also think they're seeing the same film over and over, Woody so often plays neurotic, Jewish New Yorkers whose occupation typically has literary or cinematic connotations, and the strengths of his films deal with adult relationships. This all may be true theme-wise, but Woody rarely repeats himself. He's always exploring different facets of the urban adult life. Always very adult and very urban.
The narrative strength of this film isn't as cohesive as other films partly because Allen jumps back and forth time-wise, detailing his childhood, women of his past, Annie's own adolescence, as well as Annie & Alvy's first meeting and their eventual split. "Annie Hall" has been credited with being the chief influence on late 20th century romantic comedies, and it's influence is quite evident. Even if some scenes seem out-of-place or too long, they have their moments. Who doesn't love the scene in line at the movie theater that culminates with the classic statement "Oh, if only life were like this!" One reason why Woody's films are so easy to enjoy is because he presents his problems and complexities in a comfortable manner, you feel as if you're participating in his world instead of spying on it, he's always quick to let the audience in on the joke (for example, the sub-title sequence). If you love Woody's vernacular, you could pretty much love anything Woody does. "Annie Hall" is a great laugh.