Wow on a side note before I start this review I just noticed this is my first review in over three weeks. Not that anyone really cares but be prepared for a couple more reviews in the next couple weeks as I am like 5 movies and one book behind. I have also decided to do away with the number grading. I will still put letter grades but no more numbers.It is hard to really say anything new on a movie that is a near perfect classic such as this film is. It is one of the funniest movies ever written, it is well directed and has some amazing acting to top it all off. This movie is one that is truly inspired and clever, filled with so many moments that should be inside your cultural lexicon it is unbelievable.
The acting is one of the main reason i feel that Annie Hall has managed to stand the test of time. Keaton as a ditsy Midwestern girl and Woody Allen as a neurotic stand up comedian work so well together. They have such an immense amount of chemistry that do not really see all that often in every movie. They play their parts so well you feel these characters are real(I guess it would not be too hard for Woody Allen since he is basically just playing himself in this movie). All the supporting actors do their assigned duties well and do not derail the movie by being out of place or by being terrible actors. Also this has a tiny guest role for a younger Christopher Walken and he is absolutely hysterical as Dwanye.
This movie defiantly rated 18+ not for the usual reasons that is a gross out teen flick but if you watch this film too young you may find it boring(I will admit the pace is somewhat slow but not too slow). Also some of the jokes may fly over your head. I saw this movie at a young age and I will admit the latter part of that statement happened to me. Although it still does have a lot of moments that would be hilarious for almost anyone who appreciates humour.
Of course this film is not the most original movie out there but it defiantly does dabble in a few film aspects that were not unheard of in 1977 but were different then what was mostly being done in film at the time in the comedy genre. The most original aspect of this movie is the breaking of the fourth wall(for those unaware of what that means it is when an actor talks directly into the camera basically making you aware you a watching a movie). Another moment is when Annie and Alvy are talking and the subtitles are saying different things then what they are saying. Another is how Alvy is waiting in line and he is able to pull out Marshall McLuhan to prove his point against the film snob.(I always found this part to be even more humorous due to the fact that many Woody Allen fans do act like the obnoxious film snob we see waiting in line at the movie theatre. The list could go on forever from the animated part tossed in to how Woody Allen puts himself into flashbacks in his childhood to how the story is not told in a straight linear fashion. Many of these moments now are generally in every person cultural lexicon and they are the moments that really make this film hilarious.
Another factor into the hilarity that is this movie is many of the clever gags and witty one liners. Some of my favorite one liners ever come from this movie. Some examples are the over quoted"those who can't do teach. those who can't teach teach gym", when describing L.A. "they never throw their garbage away they just put it on t.v." and lastly describing award ceremonies being such a farce"Adolf Hitler fascist dictator of the year". There was also a lot of clever and heart warming moments in this film such as Alvy and Annie making the lobster and Alvy coming over to Annie's to get the bug out of her bathroom.
This film is one of my personal favorites and quite possibly is the funniest movies I have ever seen. It has a ton of intelligence, wit and poignancy that puts this movie above a lot of other comedies. It is a movie that has stood the test of time quite well and should be viewed by audiences for decades to come. A true American masterpiece
A+
-Hutz
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