Day 133 – Annie Hall

Movie Title: Annie Hall

First Watch / Repeat Viewing

Running Time: 1 hr. and 33 min.

Rated: PG

Who did I watch with?: Stephie

Where did I watch it?: Home

Review:

Annie Hall stars Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in roles that I can only imagine are at least partially autobiographical. Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) is a comedian in New York that has a great number of idiosyncrasies. The movie is told in vignettes that recount scenes from Singer’s life where he frequently breaks the fourth wall.

The movie starts with Singer’s childhood where you realize the movies going to be great when a six year old says with a straight face “I’m into leather.” Many of Singer’s one liners are wonderfully irreverent and generally accurate. One of his focuses is disgust with the public. There is a great scene where a film critic stands behind in line to see a movie where he breaks down all these well known actors and directors in the most derivative terms. Allen breaks the fourth wall in an attack of academics and brings in an actor to call him a fool. It’s great.

The most significant aspect of the movie is the neurotic approach Singer takes to relationships. It runs through his first two marriages and then rewinds in time to look at the flaws in his relationship with the title character Annie Hall. Slowly the flaws in the relationship emerge as they each try and diagnose and change one another.

Verdict:

It is a funny movie that Allen really commands masterfully. See it.

Tomorrow’s Movie: The Onion Movie (2008)