Annie Hall

Plot synopsis:
The comedian Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) is trying to understand why his relationship with Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) ended a year ago. Growing up in New York, he vexed his mother with impossible questions about the emptiness of existence, but he was precocious about his innocent sexual curiosity.
Annie and Alvy, in a line for The Sorrow and the Pity, overhear another man deriding the work of Federico Fellini and Marshall McLuhan; McLuhan himself steps in at Alvy's invitation to criticize the man's comprehension. That night, Annie shows no interest in sex with Alvy. Instead, they discuss his first wife (Carol Kane), whose ardor gave him no pleasure. His second marriage was to a New York writer who didn't like sports and was unable to reach orgasm.
With Annie, it is different. The two of them have fun making a meal of boiled lobster together. He teases her about the unusual men in her past. He met her playing tennis doubles with friends. Following the game, awkward small talk led her to offer him first a ride up town and then a glass of wine on her balcony. There, what seemed a mild exchange of trivial personal data is revealed in "mental subtitles" as an escalating flirtation. Their first date follows Annie's singing audition for a night club ("It Had to be You"). He suggests they kiss first to get it out of the way. After their lovemaking that night, Alvy is "a wreck", while she relaxes with a joint.
Soon Annie admits she loves him, while he buys her books on death and says that his feelings for her are more than just love. When she moves in with him, things become very tense. Eventually, he finds her arm in arm with one of her college professors and the two begin to argue whether this is the "flexibility" they had discussed. They eventually break up, and he searches for the truth of relationships, asking strangers on the street about the nature of love, questioning his formative years, until he casts himself in Snow White opposite Annie's Evil Queen.
Alvy returns to dating, but the effort is marred by neurosis, bad sex, and finally an interruption from Annie, who insists he come over immediately. It turns out she needs him to kill a spider. A reconciliation follows, coupled with a vow to stay together come what may. However, their separate discussions with their therapists make it evident there is an unspoken divide. When Alvy accepts an offer to present an award on television, they fly out to Los Angeles, with Alvy's friend, Rob (Tony Roberts). However, on the return trip, they agree that their relationship is not working. After losing her to her record producer, Tony Lacey (Paul Simon), he unsuccessfully tries rekindling the flame with a marriage proposal. Back in New York, he stages a play of their relationship but changes the ending: now she accepts.
The last meeting for them is a wistful coda on New York's Upper West Side, when they have both moved on to someone new. Alvy's voice returns with a summation: love is essential, especially if it is neurotic. Annie sings "Seems Like Old Times" and the credits roll.

Tags: comedy, thought-provoking, flashback, psychedelic, humor, satire, romantic, entertaining

Review:
The film that bested Star Wars for the 1977 Best Picture Oscar, Annie Hall is a remarkable achievement in filmmaking that transcends its simple, romantic premise to create a stunning portrait of not only 70's pop culture, but of human nature cumulative.
Directed and co-written by Woody Allen, who has since directed other gems such as Hannah and Her Sisters and The Purple Rose of Cairo, Annie Hall also stars Allen as Alvy Singer, a neurotic, death-obsessed comedian who seems unlucky in love and life.
Yet Allen and Keaton are so perfect in their roles, they improbably make this couple one of the most memorable ever.The plot revolves around Alvy's chronicles of loves lost and a retrospective on his relationship with Annie, with whom he has since parted ways.
This is a story not exclusively about a relationship between two people, but also a musing on 70's politics, drugs, East Coast/West Coast rivalry, narcissism, religion, celebrity, and several other topics with which Allen deals with extraordinary ease.Yet Annie Hall would not be among my favorite films of all-time if it were just Woody Allen ranting and raving about what he likes and dislikes.
What separates Annie Hall is its grace, the believable chemistry between Keaton and Allen, the unique direction (ranging from split-screens to cartoon imagery to on-screen subtitles of what the actors are thinking), but mostly because it's the rare film to find a perfect balance between sheer entertainment, humor, and poignancy.
When the dust had settled, Diane Keaton deservedly won an Academy Award for her performance, Allen took home Oscars for direction and writing, and the film beat out Star Wars for Best Picture, which most people consider a complete sham.
`Annie Hall', long thought to be Woody Allen's opus, is perhaps a perfect romantic comedy because it not only shows the happy, touching moments of relationships, but also displays the reality of coupling  the occasional waning of interest in one another, the hypercritical moments, etc.
`Annie Hall' is like a fond memory, or a favorite old song  anytime I have discussed this film with others their smiling expressions are usually tinged with a hint of nostalgia, because one can look back on either their past or current relationship and do what precious few films allow us to do  relate on a personal level.--Shelly.
Woody Allen's seminal 1977 romantic comedy "Annie Hall" is not only laugh-out-loud funny (with some of the most quotable dialogue ever written for the screen...this is the "Casablanca" of comedies, folks) but also sweet and charming (due in large part because of Diane Keaton's smashing performance as the title character, the flighty singer from Wisconsin with a quirky fashion sense and "neat" outlook on life) without ever turning trite or sappy like so many romantic comedies tend to do.
Allen wisely deconstructed the genre with his non-linear story-line (something that was later done to even greater effect with a more recent and profound look at relationships, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind") and charming little theatrical tricks like talking to the audience or pulling extras into the scene for their opinions on what's been going on.
It keeps the viewer off guard and allows for a free flow of comedic and philosophical ideas that might otherwise not have found their way into a more traditional film.In his latter years, Allen's best work has been when he is not part of the cast (my personal favorites being "Bulletts over Broadway," "Sweet and Lowdown," and the recent "Match Point").
There is an inherent uncertainty in everything that Singer says  as though he really knows what he's talking about, but he can't convince himself that he's got it right.When he accompanies a friend (Tony Roberts) to a tennis game, Singer's first and foremost concern is that the club will deny him entry because he's a Jew. However, that fateful game serves forth something so much more significant and life-changing  he comes to meet the ditsy and exuberant Annie Hall (Diane Keaton).
This is no small thanks, of course, to the main actors, who embody their characters so perfectly that we're unsure if they are acting or merely playing themselves.Though he had previously released a few well-received, light-hearted affairs, it was 'Annie Hall' that blasted writer/actor/director Woody Allen into the realms of super-stardom.
Having revisited 'Annie Hall' for the first time in a year, having since enjoyed many of Allen's other films, I am genuinely amazed at his transition from silly comedian to insightful observer on human relationships.
Of course, a noticeable evolution in his film-making style is evident in both the science-fiction 'Sleeper (1973)' and the Russian historical spoof 'Love and Death (1975),' but neither boasts the the intelligence nor the sophistication of this film, which wholly discards the Chaplin-like slapstick of Allen's previous films and adopts the Tracy-Hepburn screwball comedy of a decade later.Originally slated  and filmed, in fact  as a New York murder mystery with a romantic sub-plot, 'Annie Hall' was taken by editor Ralph Rosenbaum and cut down (massacred, if you will) into the modern, witty 1970s screwball comedy that we still enjoy today.
Two slightly more unusual cameos come from Truman Capote (as a Truman Capote-lookalike, no less) and scholar Marshall McLuhan (whom Singer suddenly procures from behind a movie poster to declare to a talkative film-goer that "you know nothing of my work!").Easily the most innovative and energetic of the films I've so far seen from Woody Allen, 'Annie Hall' is a spirited glimpse at the incompatibility of human beings, and a cynical yet bittersweet meditation on the falsity of the perfect romantic Hollywood ending.
"Annie Hall" is a brilliant romantic comedy that could have only been made by Woody Allen (Oscar-winning in directing and writing, nominated in acting).
Allen stars as a Jewish stand-up comic who falls in love with aspiring actress Diane Keaton (in a well-deserved Oscar-winning turn as the titled character).
Frankly, it does not speak well of our culture.This (yawn) movie revolves around a pair of self absorbed lovers...a neurotic New York comedian, Alvy Singer (played by Woody) and a would-be singer, Annie Hall.
This movie came out at a great time for hack Woody Allen - he had 60's and 70's audiences by the throat because they, for some odd reason, loved him for the most part.
Of course, the relationship fails in this film, as it reflects his personal life and taste in women...Annie Hall must have been too old for his liking or possessed too much of a will or a brain.
Annie Hall feels more like a fake, constructed front for a movie rather than delving into real emotional territory, but then, we are talking about Woody Allen..
Woody Allen makes Robin Williams look funny..Self important tripe.It shows how out of touch with society the academy has always been to give this clunker any kind of reward.Woody Allen while trying to come off funny(i think)comes across as annoying and whiny.His scripts are like junior college romance novels.I would like to tell you that I fell asleep during this movie,but Woody Allen's sniveling little voice kept me awake like a Catholic school nun and her ruler.I feel there is so much more I could have done with my life than see this movie.If I can warn one male in this country who has any testosterone left in his body to avoid this movie , I will feel I have accomplished something,and maybe just maybe they can use the time I saved them and make a difference in this world.God bless you...and God bless America..
The film is somewhat autobiographical about his relationships with a WASP woman named Annie Hall played by Diane Keaton in her Oscar winning role.
Woody Allen is one of the greatest film maker's of all time, his movies are written perfect and he does comedy perfect.This is not my favorite Woody Allen movie, but i do like it a lot and i love how he does this movie.It is drama with comedy, and scenes in new york and the same music in all his movies, Woody Allen dosen't like to change.But i think he has something perfect, i wouldn't change it either and one thing good about Annie hall is woody.Him acting the way he does and talking to the camera is perfect, this man makes the movie with Dian Keaton doing a great job as well.Her roles in a lot of his movies are always excellent, this was Woody Allen's first big Oscar winning movie and is still considered his best work.If you like Woody Allen, then this film is just for you and i think it is a good couple movie that you can watch with a wife and girlfriend.The great Woody does it again with Annie Hall..
Using a very unique form of storytelling that would become perfected by Quinten Tarantino, Annie Hall is totally not the average love story, for many many reasons.But, just because of it being a different kind of film, it does not make it any more entertaining.
Woody Allen's one-joke film (the entire film focuses around the bizarre personality of the main character) clocks in at a decent amount of time and offers a realistic bittersweet ending, but seems to lack that punch that truly makes it a standout film.The story revolves around a very nervous and neurotic comedian by the name of Alvy Singer who falls in love with this interesting and pretty singer Annie Hall.
Everyone else in the film really carried no weight and are totally forgettable characters, besides Christopher Walken's character, which shared a very funny moment with Woody Allen.Annie Hall denies the fact that there is a fourth wall, as the film has the main character talking to the audience.
Annie Hall is no Napoleon Dynamite mind you, but it still lacks that edge that the better romantic comedies contain, comedies like The 40-year-Old Virgin, When Harry Met Sally, Pretty Woman, and There's Something About Mary.Bottom Line: Annie Hall is not worthy of having that Best Picture Oscar; it should have gone to Star Wars for sure.
There were one or two things I found humorous about it, but I thought it was so slow paced and boring that I can barely even recall a plot line (if there was one).Yet another movie where Woody Allen makes Jews look like wimps and Diane Keaton has shoulder pads and looks like Paula Poundstone in men's clothing.
This time I hated it.To begin with, I am tired of Woody Allen's attempt to philosophize life with his relationship with women and the fact that he is a self-deprecating Jew. He has constantly knocked the latter in many of his films.
Many of Allen's ideas have also been recycled since "Annie Hall" (oft-times by Woody himself) and so it feels occasionally like a rerun.
He goes back through his past in one long flashback to try and work out why and where it all went wrong.Woody Allen's career started out making films that were slapstick mixed with surreal humour.
The various tricks he uses are very imaginative as well - people's thoughts are shown in subtitles, Singer gets solves a cinema queue fight in a very novel way and at one point, to demonstrate how he makes the wrong choices in love, the film turns to a Snow White cartoon.Allen is great in the character he has played so many times.
And, although that's to be expected with any Allen film, I was anticipating something a little more sincere with this piece.Diane Keaton was very good in this, and I can see why so many people consider this to be her signature role, however you still see her has Diane Keaton, and not as the character Annie Hall.
It may have at least been openly honest, but never again will I sit through any movie which mentions the name Woody Allen in any part of the opening credits.Rating: Not listed so I don't offend Annie Hall fans.
Next to "Manhattan" this is Woody Allen's best film.It chronicles the relationship and breakup of Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) and Annie Hall (Diane Keaton).
Students are mesmerized by the innovative film-making technique of showing the linear transformation of a relationship in a non-linear collage, writing that is so clever and well acted that one forgets you are watching staged interactions, humor that is so sharp if you blink you will miss a joke, and genuine poignancy that always brings tears to my eyes at the end.I simply do not know how "Annie Hall" could be a better movie.
Meanwhile, Alvy avoids saying he loves her by using variations of the word ("I luff you, I lurve you...") Once the viewer realizes that, the rest of the movie changes, and you understand parts of the reason that Alvy's never had a truly successful relationship.Even on totally face value, "Annie Hall" is extremely funny.
I'm a cartoon character!")"Annie Hall" is Allen's best work, simply because it is one of the most imitated films ever, and, as we all know -- imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.One note-- even though the film is filled with cynicism and funny scenes, the ending always leaves me a little misty.
I like Woody Allen and Diane Keaton is great, but this movie just bored the living hell out of me.
I always thought that "Annie Hall" was Woody Allen's joke on the world - because he had started receiving such critical acclaim he decided to make the worst movie he could make in order to see the critics and public laud it because it was his.
It helps that Diane Keaton gives one of her best and most endearing performances, and while Alvy is not a particularly likable or sympathetic character Woody Allen is similarly great, his looking into the camera and breaking the fourth wall moments were funny.
Allen directs with assurance, and while there have been more visually audacious Woody Allen films since Annie Hall it is still cleverly made with the way it's shot, the cartoon images and how we're shown visually what the characters are thinking.
After you get past Allen breaking the fourth wall in the introduction with his monologue you get a sense of invitation to this New York style of living that is displayed throughout the movie with Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) and Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) a couple who has an up and down then out relationship.
"Annie Hall" teaches us that love is not always permanent and not always predictable.Winner of four 1977 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, "Annie Hall" stands as Woody Allen's masterpiece.This movie is so funny it will have you laughing and cheering as loud as it would have 30 years ago.
I have to figure it's cause Allen originally had a *three-hour* movie on his hands, that was Annie Hall and Manhattan Murder Mystery - or what would become of that.Oddly enough, I have to think that Allen canned the Manhattan Murder Mystery footage due to it, you know, not working, and then he and his fantastic editor Ralph Rosenblum made the film we have today out of all the sweet and funny relationship/cultural-awareness jokes that were in the story anyway.
Hard to imagine a film that could outshine the original 1977 Star Wars movie at the Oscars but this is it, and it shows what a really good film it indeed is.Staring, Directed by and Co Written by Woody Allen this is a damn good Romantic Comedy.
I like a lot of Woody Allen stuff, Manhattan is a big favourite, but I just can't see why Annie Hall is so revered.
This is a film about Annie, as the title suggests, which really makes this movie great and still shine among the Allen repertoire.The film stars Woody Allen as his usual neurotic, pessimistic self, in the form of comedian Alvy Singer and follows the story of his life with a focus on his relationships with women and his family.
Neurotic New York comedian Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) rehashes his love life to discover the cause of the ending of his romantic relationship to Annie Hall (Diane Keaton).
In Manhattan, neurotic Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) is trying to figure out what caused his break-up with longtime girlfriend, Annie (Diane Keaton).
I turned to my mother and said "It's just like the Halls and the Singers."  You can tell that Annie Hall was one of Woody Allen's older movies based on the character he plays.
The disconnected editing and transitions actually help to embody the sporadic and nervous relationship, while seemingly portraying the varied speed and detachment our lives move at.The performances all help to make Annie Hall the film it is today, Diane Keaton and Woody Allen have perfect chemistry and both create emotional parallels for their characters.
We knew Woody could write good comedy; "Love and Death" showed he wasn't just very funny but clever and sophisticated as well but none of his films before "Annie Hall" showed this kind of cinematic sensibility.
"Alvy", like Woody, is always writing something too.ANNIE HALL is not my favorite Allen film.
His great films of the 90's MIGHTY APHRODITE and DECONSTRUCTING HARRY are direct descendants of ANNIE HALL because of the overlapping narrative, Woody's talking to the audience or to imaginary people, and adorable love interests.The one thing true of this film is that it is his warmest in regard to New York relationships and that is made completely possible because of Diane Keaton.
Annie hall is romantic comedy film with unusual and compelling story telling technique .Watcher will feel like woody allen is just having a casual conversation with him ..
The great thing about Annie Hall with Diane Keaton, who is also a really great actor, and her and Woody Allen play great off each other, is that this movie broke the invisibility gap in films that no other films have ever tried before.