Annie Hall

Rating: 8/10 (15 June 2005)

Woody Allen won the Oscar and BAFTA, and was nominated the Golden Globe for directing this romantic comedy, which is a rare thing to happen at the Academy Awards these days. Basically Alvy Singer (Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Allen) is a whiny, over-paranoid and neurotic stand-up comedian living in New York. The film focuses on his falling in love and falling out with the equally neurotic and kooky Annie Hall (Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe winning Diane Keaton, Annie being Keaton's nickname, and Hall being her real surname). The film streams all his memories in his consciousness of how he met Annie, how they spent time together and how they parted ways. What makes it interesting love story is that the fourth wall is broken in many moments, with Alvy talking to camera, asking unknown characters to give their opinions and they act like they know him, and there is even a moment of animation. Also starring Tony Roberts as Rob, Carol Kane as Allison, Paul Simon as Tony Lacey, The Shining's Shelley Duvall as Pam, Janet Margolin as Robin, Colleen Dewhurst as Mrs. Hall, Christopher Walken as Duane Hall, Jeff Goldblum as Lacey Party Guest, Beverly D'Angelo as Actress in Rob's TV Show and Sigourney Weaver as Alvy's Date Outside Theatre. Allen is terrific with his stylistic film-making, and creating a likable fumbling character, Keaton obviously makes a presence in her award-winning part, and a little known Walken (before his Oscar winning turn in The Deer Hunter) makes a brief impression. With clever, funny and touching insights into living in New York, love, psychiatry, insignificance and the meaning and purpose of life, this is a great alternative romantic comedy. It won the Oscars for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Allen and Marshall Brickman, and Best Picture, it won the BAFTAs for Best Editing, Best Screenplay and Best Film, and it was nominated the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy and Best Screenplay. Woody Allen was number 71, and Christopher Walken number 34 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, and Allen was number 80 on The 100 Greatest Sex Symbols, the film was number 90 on 100 Years, 100 Songs for "Seems Like Old Times", it number 55 on 100 Years, 100 Quotes ("La-dee-da, la-dee-da"), it was number 11 on 100 Years, 100 Passions, it was number 11 on The 50 Greatest Comedy Films, it was number 4 on 100 Years, 100 Laughs, it was number 31 on 100 Years, 100 Movies, and it was number 50 on The 100 Greatest Films. Very good!