All they do is give out awards!

Rating: 9/10 (9 December 2011)

IMDb Top 250: 136
I am unqualified to write this review.
I'll elaborate. This is my first Woody Allen film. Film starts. Title. Credits on a black background, no effects. No music. And then Woody, talking directly to us about him, with a rich, varied and intellectual use of the English language. Like a great book, Annie Hall demands your full focus to analyze and understand just what is being said. Recently the thought that I want to be a writer has popped into my head, and no one does writing, directing and acting better than Woody Allen.
Annie Hall is about the relationship between cynical Alvy and ditzy Annie. While the film is a rom-com, it's more of a rom-com*. The * is because it's darkly funny, and the level of romance goes up and down like a roller-coaster. It's very honest, there's no closed doors in our viewing of the relationship.
Annie Hall came very close to getting the Oscar Big 5, only losing the Best Actor, and while I haven't seen the winner, it must've been a good contest. Of the 3 films to achieve this, I think Annie Hall would be the most deserving. Allen and Keaton are believable and lovable. Allen's directing is superb, with tricks I was floored by. As said before, the writing is rich and so... complete, all coming together in a grand package. Also funny to note, the quote I used, Alvy's description of LA, is ironically fitting to the film it's from.
Several things are worth noting. The 4th wall is broken, a lot and it's perfect. How many movies do you wish the main character would just stop and tell you what he's thinking? My favourite example is the movie theater line, where Alvy verbally dismantles the man behind him in line, even making one of the topics appear (it's fantasy). Other fantasies include Alvy asking random people on the street what happened to his romance. I personally love his references to all kinds of things, even if I didn't get some of them: I do that myself. Lastly, one scene has subtitles, and I had to shake my head and rewind. It was brilliant.
Lastly, the setting. Annie Hall is a New York film, except when they stop in LA twice. Alvy Singer is a New York guy, and he feels very uncomfortable in such a foreign place. Only after did I realize what a great job the film does of making New York feel like home. The scenes in LA were UNBEARABLE. I haven't loved hating something so much.
Annie Hall was surprisingly good, and far smarter than I expected. An all-around AAA film that is relatable, comforting and charming, all in 90 minutes. 9.2/10