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Rating: 5 out of 5
We have all been in love before. When we break up with that person, we try to understand what went wrong, if in our mind it was perfect and then all of a sudden it was no more. We try to connect all the wonderful dots in the relationship and somewhat make sense of it all. We might sometimes see the errors of our ways or just blame the other person for what happened. Love and life are a funny thing.
Annie Hall is one of those movies I heard so much about, and it didn’t interest me at all. For one, I’m not a big Woody Allen fan. Also, I am not a big romantic-comedy type person. So, those two things would put me off. Well, I decided to give this movie a chance, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the film and thought it was hilarious. It hits on relationships and love in a charming way and highly recommends that anyone should watch it. If you need any more proof, The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: #31 on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies”, #4 on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Laughs, #11 on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Passions, #90 on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Songs with “Seems Like Old Times,” #55 on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movie Quotes with Annie Hall saying “La-dee-da, la-dee-da.”, #35 on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) and finally #2 on AFI’s 10 Top 10: Romantic Comedy Film. Pretty big accolades for a movie. Oh, and it did win Best Picture and Best Actress for the Academy Awards.
The whole movie is a series of flashbacks from comedian Alvy Singer’s (Allen) perspective. He examines the rise and fall of his relationship with struggling nightclub singer Annie Hall (Keaton). The film usually has Alvy speaking directly to the audience in front of a plain background. Alvy reflects on everything from his childhood, which was quite strange and entertaining, to his early adult years. The film finally settles in on the story of how he and Annie met. Their adventure in falling in love and the struggles with modern romance obstacles. That is the whole movie, but it is very entertaining and fun to watch.
What Allen does so well with this film is the use of comedy and turning a serious situation into a funny and over-the-top view of things. For example, his childhood was strange, but the way he presented it was a delight to watch and what we do now. I don’t know about being depressed about the universe, but I was sad about something, and it was also funny to have the kids state what they were going to be when they are old. One dude said he was going to be a drug addict. My favorite part of the childhood section is when Alvy speaks about the one kid that always gets the answer wrong, and then he slaps his head in disbelief. We all have done that.
Now, the whole relationship seemed great as they met at tennis. Now Annie drives like a maniac, but Allen shows the relationship’s development and how the two members are so different in their ways. Alvy is a big-time complainer and stuck in his ways while Annie wants to live life. When they were at the movies, Alvy was getting annoyed by a dude behind him and to shut him up brings out the person he was talking about in a funny way. Honestly, I don’t know how these two ended up together. When they talk about opposites attract, this is what they were talking about. Yet, the movie makes it work. One funny part is when Alvy and Annie first meet and have a drink on the patio. They are speaking but above them is what they are actually thinking to themselves. She wants him to think she is smart, and he wants to see her naked, along with not seeming shallow. Also, when the whole relationship goes sour, Allen presents this as a cartoon. Yup, a cartoon in the middle of the film. Yet, it works so well by getting the point across.
There are several themes presented throughout this film. One theme is the Jewish identity. Allen plays on his Jewish identity very well in this film, with him being the stereotypical neurotic Jewish male. The differences between Alvy and Annie are often related to the perceptions and realities of Jewish identity. One of the ways this is shown is when Alvy visits Annie’s family. Annie’s family seems like the perfect family. They dine together in a bright atmosphere, along with Alvy stating her grandma hates Jews. On the other hand, Alvy’s family is loud and seems more like a family that argues and has fun. Also, Allen’s character always states that the reason something happens is because he is a Jew. He plays that card so much that it becomes a tad bit redundant after a while.
Another theme presented in the film is the love story of New York City and the hatred towards Los Angeles or misunderstanding. Allen LOVES New York City, and it has been shown throughout many of his other films. This one is no different. His friend Rob wants to move to Cali because of the sun, and he is tired of the weather and other things. Alvy explains why he should never leave New York and can tell that his heart loves the city. The city represents his personality as gloomy, claustrophobic, and socially cold, but also an intellectual haven full of nervous energy. Cali, on the other hand, is presented as a place where airheads live, and people talk about having a meeting with a person, but that meeting is taken by someone else. Yet, Cali is presented as freedom for Annie. Oh, and the scene as a perfect Jeff Goldblum scene.
Now one of the funniest scenes in the whole movie is the cocaine scene. Alvy always speaks about not doing drugs because they do some type of thing to him. If it’s weed, he goes crazy. If it is heroin, he stays away from it as he should. Now homeboy is with Annie, and they are about to go to Cali. Their friend has some cocaine and about to do a line. Their friend wants them to bring some coke back because Cali has that high-grade coke. Alvy is looking at it and asks how much it is. The friend says that it is $2k per ounce, and it must have a couple of ounces in it. Just then, Alvy sneezes, and coke flies everywhere.
The acting is excellent in this film. First, there is Woody Allen as Alvy Singer. I couldn’t understand for the life of me how Alvy got women. He would pull ass better than one. The dude is crazy, and yet, he is self-centered, gloomy as a stormy cloud, an asshole, and only thinks of himself. He is also a whiny little nerd that thinks he is right and usually causes the problems. I couldn’t have been friends with him, but the dude did have the best line about self-love with “Don’t knock masturbation. It’s sex with someone I love.” That was a great line.
Diane Keaton as Annie Hall was fantastic. She was cute, funny, witty, and so strong for putting up with Alvy shit. It was nice to get some background information on her with the people she dated. She had no worries about doing weed because it calmed her down. I liked her as the singer, even though her first time doing it was awful. I like that she really found her independence at the end of the film.
There were a few other people who appeared in this film. Truman Capote has a cameo. Jeff Goldblum appears as a man who “forgot [his] mantra,” Beverly D’Angelo as an actress in Rob’s TV show; and scream queen and alien ass-whipping, Sigourney Weaver, makes her film debut. Even Christopher Walken and his creepy self is in the film.
Annie Hall is a great and funny movie that anyone will enjoy. It is a story of love, relationships, and the downfall of falling out of love. Allen presents this film in a funny and entertaining way. Keaton is fantastic as the title character, and watch it just to get a laugh.
