I think the worst thing that ever happened to Woody Allen's career was the Oscar he won for Annie Hall. While it is a very funny in spots, it just encouraged him to make his movies more and more polished as well as more self-exploratory. I'm sorry, but I much prefer the earlier "stupid" films he did--where self-exploration was limited and they were just funny. Now, with Annie Hall and most of his subsequent films, he was trying to "say something". Yeah, maybe like "I'm finished with good films and now I'll make essentially the same film again and again and again because it's a great adjunct to all my psychoanalysis". I don't want to explore Woody's psyche, thank you very much--just entertain me and make me laugh.

Okay, to the film. Woody plays himself of sorts in the film. He goes to parties, meets famous people, has relationship problems and schmoozes. That's nice. About the only part of this film I loved was the scene where he and Diane Keaton are waiting in line to see a movie. During this wait, a pseudo-intellectual idiot keeps pontificating about the film and its symbolism. At which point, Woody begins talking to the camera--telling everyone what an idiot this guy is! Then, the blow-hard begins addressing the camera as well! Finally, Woody announces he has the author with him (standing behind a fake tree in the lobby). Then, the author tells the blow-hard that he is indeed stupid and totally misunderstood him! This is great--but there are not enough moments like this in the film. Considering how highly rated the film is, it looks like I am indeed in the minority.

Not everybody will love Woody Allen's humour, some will find him interesting and sharply insightful while others will find him self-indulgent. With me, it veers very largely towards the former with some occasions where the latter does creep in. Annie Hall is one of his best films, a masterpiece and one of the better Best Picture winners of the 70s with only the two Godfather films even better. The best assets are the script and the chemistry between the two leads. The script is enormously witty, with cracking dialogue that induces one and at times more laughs a minute, and full of insightful observations. People have deemed it one of the best screenplays of all time, and from personal perspective there is no reason to argue. The chemistry between the two leads, running somewhat on a parallel between the relationship of Woody Allen and Diane Keaton itself, and the actors in general actually is throughout very believable. It is often adorable and often dynamic. 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. The supporting cast all give spirited performances, especially Tony Roberts, Paul Simon, Carol Kane and Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum is memorable as well for one of the film's best and most quotable lines. The romance is sweet and relateable, the ending for me was really moving, but the story doesn't depend on that alone, Allen also muses over topics that were relevant then and that we can see as relevant today as well, he does so in a very thoughtful way. 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. There is no music score and in this case that was a good idea, there was more leeway for the relationship between the two lead characters and observations to speak, and that's the same for the deliberate but never tedious pacing. Overall, an outstanding film, one of Allen's best and one of the greatest films of the 70s. People may dislike it for it winning Best Picture over Star Wars(this viewers and many others however think it fully deserved the win),as much as I'll have a fondness for the Star Wars original trilogy and consider it a milestone of its genre it is easy to see out of Star Wars and Annie Hall which is the superior film. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Woody Allen's masterpiece with favorite co-star Diane Keaton has Allen casting himself as New York born comedian Alvy Singer and his relationship with Keaton in the title role. Annie Hall is one of those films you can watch four or five times and pick up a bit of humor and/or philosophy that you missed the first time.

Allen is playing himself in Annie Hall, a successful comedian who spends most of his time psychoanalyzing himself and all around him. He can't make any relationship permanent.

Along comes Keaton and it looks like this is the one, but there's always pitfalls when you deal with a walking neurosis like Allen.

Both Woody and Diane fit so naturally in their parts you think you are peeking in on a home movie. Annie Hall won for Best Picture, Best Actress for Diane Keaton, and Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Woody Allen. Best in the supporting cast is Tony Roberts as Allen's sidekick actor buddy.

This really is a timeless classic. It's humor has no temporal limits. Annie Hall can be made today with the same script and you wouldn't lose a scintilla of humor.