The best written comedy of all time

Rating: 9/10 (19 January 2008)

The film starts with Woody talking to camera (This should fail but doesn't) about going through a mid-life crisis while reflecting on his break up with Annie (in the title). We see his early life living in a house under a roller coaster and a number of comedic moments here set the tone for the rest of the movie. We move on to see the latter stages of his romance with Annie as they get to the point where they can no longer stand each other and together through the ease of the relationship, rather than endure the struggle to find someone new. This should be pretty depressing fodder, but due to Alvy's mixed up nature and his knowledge that he is messed up but trying leads you to liking him when really, you shouldn't. Add to that a superb early appearance from Christopher Walken (who almost nicks the scene from Woody and sets the tone for every character he'd play from this point on) and every single director's trick in the book and this leads to the best written romantic comedy ever put to page that has yet to be bettered.
Whilst Manhattan is regarded as Woody Allen's love letter to New York, for me, this is his love letter to life itself. Free of some of the over-referenced, literate attempts at later movies, this is a film free of form that achieves effortless brilliance, and yet from details of the making of the film, you know it was anything but. The lines and situations are brilliant from the moment that Alvy Singer delivers his dialogue about his feelings on life, and his views on women, following swiftly with the details of his early life, including his first realisations that life will end, cut to the chase 30 years later and he is still worrying, but in spite of the worry and the despair you never feel depressed and even the bitter sweet ending (How many film-makers would try that today ...Apart for Kevin Smith?) feels wonderfully satisfying.
To say this is the best comedy ever written is perhaps overdoing it. However it is the best written comedy of all time...Forgive the grammar