Pure Woody Allen

Rating: 8/10 (24 October 2001)

When you watch a Woody Allen film, you know what you're getting. And in "Annie Hall," you get it in spades. Not a lot of people would come up with this line: "My grammy never bought me presents, you know? She was too busy being raped by Cossacks." But Woody does, and you either love him or hate him for it.
This is a good Allen film, no denying it. That said, you'll know beforehand whether this film is worth your time. Already, in the mid 70s, Allen was starting to look too old to play a guy who wins the heart of a younger girl. (This problem only gets worse in later films where he insists on wooing Mira Sorvino or Helen Hunt.) Here, the age gap is still OK. Soon after, it's not. But any guy who can roll Mozart, James Joyce and sodomy into one line of dialogue, well, I'm OK with it.
It's snooty. It's intellectual. It's the world of Manhattan that would never dare venture south of, say, Houston Street. And if that's cool with you, then so is "Annie Hall."
PS. Middle America need not apply.