My first Woody Allen film

Rating: 8/10 (26 April 2013)

Unsure of what to expect prior to watching this, I actually ended up liking this film quite a bit. I'd heard that Woody Allen has his own distinct style and it was very much evident in this film. I also have a strong feeling that Woody Allen isn't playing a character in his films, he's playing different versions of himself. Not that it's a bad thing, but at times you could almost sense that he's just being himself and not really playing a character.
Woody Allen is really great in a creative sense. I loved how he communicated with the audience, made one part of the film animated, and did multiple editing tricks where older versions of characters would literally be looking in on events in the past. I thought it was really great how he made the two interact, for example, the little girl in the beginning and his present self were having a conversation. His editing techniques were incredible and made the film really interesting to watch.
His cinematography is simple, but is done very well. Many parts of this film were simple, but it worked perfectly. One thing that was not simple, however, was the dialogue. I actually found myself getting annoyed at times because of Allen's run-on sentences/rants. Though they were usually quite witty, there were just too many and they ended up making his character seem annoying and pretentious (which he kind of was anyway). Keaton's character however, I loved. I thought they were both relatable characters, but in very opposite ways.
All in all, I loved this film. I thought it was a great story. Keaton and Allen have great chemistry on screen and it's easy to tell they enjoyed working together. I would highly recommend this film. Allen's style may take some getting used to, but it's worth it.