Delightful and whimsical

Rating: 8/10 (30 March 2016)

1. Its very easy to see the influence Annie Hall had on Larry David and therefore Seinfeld. You could smack George Costanza in half the scenes replacing Alvy Singer and the movie would run much the same.
2. This film is an absolute delight. Woody Allen's performance as the neurotic New York comedian with a constant ear for Anti-Semitism is actually quite endearing in its tiny 90 minute run time. That being said, he's a completely arrogant about himself and his city, and thanks to Allen's marvellous performance behind and in front of the camera, we can see just how his relationship ended.
3. That's what Annie Hall is really about; it is a black box for a relationship that crashed somewhere over Utah. With that in mind, no scene feels wasted in either establishing their relationship or establishing the breakup.
4. That scene where Alvy sneezes into the cocaine is one of the most hilarious unscripted moments in history. Apparently the test audience loved it so much that Allen had to put in fluff scenes afterwards to give them time to laugh without missing anything. That was a wise call.
5. Allen's directorial decisions are amazing - spots of animation and split screen and fourth wall breaking, but most of all the way he can bring his intricate screenplay to life is the most impressive. A director not intrinsically linked with the screenplay would have found it almost impossible to weave the overlapping dialogue together.
6. The screenplay is utterly wonderful, full of delightful gems like "hey don't knock masturbation, its sex with someone I love."
7. Dianne Keaton is a delight as the titular character. She's a cute free spirit who is both completely right and completely wrong for Alvy Singer.
8. The ending for the film is so perfect, especially Alvy's foray into theatre and how he manipulates events. His wry acknowledgement to the audience makes him more human than most rom com protagonists.
9. It is actually hilarious to see brief appearances by Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum and Sigourney Weaver.
10. Annie Hall is a worthy Best Picture winner. Though I love Star Wars more, I weigh up what each film's legacy in the film industry is and I can't begrudge this little film. Star Wars has inspired lots of CGI crap and Annie Hall inspired Seinfeld and Meet the Parents.