“I would never want to belong to any club that would have someone like me for a member.” That’s the key joke of my adult life, in terms of my relationships with women. -Alvy Singer
Woody Allen is a very bad person. I cannot speak about a comedy written, directed, and starring Allen from his perspective about a relationship with a woman without addressing that on the top. There are dozens if not hundreds of articles and think-pieces written about this by and about his victims and patterns of abuse that are worthy of understanding before broaching his art. This blog is not an apology tour for him or anyone like him. However, I do want to discuss the art in and of itself and will do my best to speak to the artistic creation while maintaining sensitivity to those who he has harmed.
Jeeze, I’m so tired of writing disclaimers on these reviews. Maybe I should have considered who Hollywood decided to promote for a hundred years. For those of you reading who have never seen this film, Annie Hall (1977) is a romantic comedy directed, starring, and co-written by Woody Allen as Alvy Singer.
Singer speaks directly to camera identifying himself as an outsider: a day-dreaming, 4th wall breaking comedian who has a hard time articulating his thoughts and feelings except in the context of a joke. He’s egotistical, argumentative, dismissive, and insecure. His story is the rise and fall of his relationship with one Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). He’s overly critical of everyone and always seems just on the edge of going berserk and screaming at a stranger. Clearly, he’s not handling the publicity of an up-and-coming comedian in New York City very well.
Annie is a much more bubbly and chaotic personality. She is whimsical and interested in art. She has her passions and constantly pursues them. She is very much a manic pixie dream girl before we had the term, and I some early Natalie Portman performances owe her royalties. But maybe she owes royalties to Katharine Hepburn. There is a rich history of this character. Offbeat woman pitted against self-absorbed creative sad boy to challenge his cynical perception of the world. Fifty years later, a lot of this film feels like old hat, but it does deserve credit for laying a lot of the groundwork.
Throughout the film, their relationship shines most when Annie’s chaotic personality pulls Alvy well out his comfort zone. The most memorable scene of the movie is when they’re in the kitchen doing a lobster boil and they drop the lobsters and scramble to pick them up. Alvy shrieks in terror while Annie laughs hysterically. It’s a charming scene and really where the movie is operating at its highest level.
The movie also works to explain tension in their familial lives. It is hard to be in a relationship with someone of a different religion and ethnicity. Alvy is Jewish. Annie was raised gentile. When Annie invites Alvy to her folks’ home for a supper, Alvy is a bit uncomfortable knowing Annie’s family holds some (let’s say) controversial opinions about Jewish people. During dinner, Alvy tries to play nice, but as the conversation pushes further, Alvy begins to picture himself as a Hasidic Jew. I think it’s safe to say Scrubs “lifts” this technique when it comes to J.D.’s daydreams throughout the series.
The film also features some interesting roles for some very impressive actors early in their career. Christopher Walken portrays Annie’s cousin Duane. Shelley Duvall as Pam (a reporter who goes on a date with Alvy). Jeff Goldblum as a guy making a phone call. And even Sigourney Weaver in a distant shot outside of a movie theater with Alvy.
I give a soft recommend to this movie. Yes, it’s good and has some interesting filmmaking techniques that are hard to pull off. It’s also interesting to keep in mind the legacy of it and how it affected films and tv shows for years to come. But most importantly, I want to celebrate Dianne Keaton. She’s absolutely wonderful in this film. In a time where being a woman in a movie seldom came with agency in relationships with men, Keaton really shines. She controls the relationship and Alvy is punished when he treats her poorly.
AFI has Annie Hall at No. 4 on their 100 Years… 100 Laughs list. If the list is based on artistic importance, then that may be right, but I wouldn’t put it anywhere near the top 10 funniest movies I’ve ever seen.
8.5/10
93 mintues
Check this out from your local library and avoid giving Woody Allen any of your money.
Very Unnecessary Film Reviews 