Before Woody Allen's recent foray into more decent films as a director, he was immersed in a series of films mainly in the '70s where he portrayed a fictional version of himself. While there were gems like "Play It Again, Sam" and "Crimes and Misdemeanors," "Annie Hall" epitomizes Woody's penchant for blending stand-up comedy with a dubious film narrative, stringing hit-or-miss one-liners throughout.
The central intrigue revolves around which Woody will emerge - the neurotic, self-deprecating, lovable loser, and witty social critic, or the smug elitist who belittles straw men while grappling with his own hostility towards women. The recurring joke about not belonging to a club that would accept him hints at the underlying issues jeopardizing his relationships.
A flashback featuring Woody as a precocious child predicting the planet's doom stands out as a classic moment. In this scene, Woody's youthful insight into the expanding universe's ominous future is met with his mother's myopic response: "What business is that of ours?" This exchange captures a comedic yet poignant reflection on the generational gap and the triviality with which some view significant matters. However, when schoolchildren recite their future professions, it becomes condescending, comparing successful individuals (whom Woody clearly looks down on) with drug addicts, fetishists, and even orthodox Jews.
While Woody mocks those quick to perceive antisemitism and those enamored with celebrity, his hostility towards women, exemplified in jokes about periods, remains cringeworthy. The movie theater face-off with a pretentious professor turns absurd with the awkward cameo of Marshal McLuhan.
In a flashback featuring his first wife Allison, portrayed by Carol Kane, Woody delivers an amusing line questioning her background, probing whether she was a "NY Jewish left-wing, liberal intellectual, Central Park West, Brandeis University student who attended socialist summer camps and had a father with Ben Shahn drawings." While this showcases Woody's wit, a subsequent political rally joke takes a cheap shot, implying what he wanted to do (sexually) to his wife was what Eisenhower did to the country for eight years, crossing a line and utilizing historical context in a tasteless manner.
On a lighter note, during a rather lackluster kitchen confrontation over lobsters, Woody provides a clever line in response to the issue at hand: "Speak to them-- you speak shellfish." This quip demonstrates Woody's knack for wordplay, injecting humor into a seemingly mundane situation.
The bulk of Act 2 explores Alvy and Annie's burgeoning relationship leading to the first split up. Annie is revealed to be a less interesting, insecure character (her two "Karaoke" singing performances are particularly grating). Their relationship encounters turbulence upon cohabitation, exacerbated by Alvy's disapproval of Annie's marijuana smoking. The tension escalates as Annie harbors resentment towards Alvy's persistent insistence on taking adult education courses (and driving her crazy when he reverses himself and criticizes them). She interprets this as a suggestion that she may not meet Alvy's intellectual standards, adding a layer of discord to their evolving dynamic.
The low point in Woody's one-liners arrives with tasteless remarks about Alvy's grandmother when Alvy tells Annie that his grandmother never had time to give any presents because she was "too busy being raped by Cossacks!"
I appreciated the humor in the joke about Sylvia Plath's suicide being misinterpreted as romantic due to a female college student mentality. However, the subsequent interior thoughts subtitles failed to resonate as they were unrelated to the actual conversation taking place. This disconnect between the spoken words and the accompanying thoughts undermined the comedic impact of the scene.
As Alvy and Annie's relationship stumbles over trivial issues, Woody's standup routine proves more effective than the one-liners that populate the narrative throughout. The joke at the college campus, where Woody reveals he cheated on his metaphysical exam by staring into the soul of the student next to him, stands out as a more successful moment of humor. However, Alvy's visit to Annie's Gentile family, including a portrayal of Annie's weird brother by Christopher Walken, fails to deliver genuine laughs.
The first split occurs after the two realize they're incompatible following their respective therapy sessions. We segue into Alvy dating the Rolling Stone reporter played by Shelley Duvall. While in bed together, Alvy receives a frantic phone call from Annie, who is freaking out after finding a big spider in her bathroom. This leads to a temporary reconciliation between the two, but the scene is not funny.
At this point, the narrative loses steam even further as the couple visits California, and Annie finally drifts away, falling in with a record producer played by Paul Simon. The film reaches a wistful get-together back in New York, but by now, the laughs are few and far between.
In the '70s, Woody Allen sometime adopted an apparent unconscious, aggressive, unappetizing persona, particularly towards women. While many one-liners miss the mark, occasional moments of endearment do emerge. Tony Roberts, as Alvy's buddy, stands out as a non-cringeworthy presence in a film marked by inconsistency.
The central intrigue revolves around which Woody will emerge - the neurotic, self-deprecating, lovable loser, and witty social critic, or the smug elitist who belittles straw men while grappling with his own hostility towards women. The recurring joke about not belonging to a club that would accept him hints at the underlying issues jeopardizing his relationships.
A flashback featuring Woody as a precocious child predicting the planet's doom stands out as a classic moment. In this scene, Woody's youthful insight into the expanding universe's ominous future is met with his mother's myopic response: "What business is that of ours?" This exchange captures a comedic yet poignant reflection on the generational gap and the triviality with which some view significant matters. However, when schoolchildren recite their future professions, it becomes condescending, comparing successful individuals (whom Woody clearly looks down on) with drug addicts, fetishists, and even orthodox Jews.
While Woody mocks those quick to perceive antisemitism and those enamored with celebrity, his hostility towards women, exemplified in jokes about periods, remains cringeworthy. The movie theater face-off with a pretentious professor turns absurd with the awkward cameo of Marshal McLuhan.
In a flashback featuring his first wife Allison, portrayed by Carol Kane, Woody delivers an amusing line questioning her background, probing whether she was a "NY Jewish left-wing, liberal intellectual, Central Park West, Brandeis University student who attended socialist summer camps and had a father with Ben Shahn drawings." While this showcases Woody's wit, a subsequent political rally joke takes a cheap shot, implying what he wanted to do (sexually) to his wife was what Eisenhower did to the country for eight years, crossing a line and utilizing historical context in a tasteless manner.
On a lighter note, during a rather lackluster kitchen confrontation over lobsters, Woody provides a clever line in response to the issue at hand: "Speak to them-- you speak shellfish." This quip demonstrates Woody's knack for wordplay, injecting humor into a seemingly mundane situation.
The bulk of Act 2 explores Alvy and Annie's burgeoning relationship leading to the first split up. Annie is revealed to be a less interesting, insecure character (her two "Karaoke" singing performances are particularly grating). Their relationship encounters turbulence upon cohabitation, exacerbated by Alvy's disapproval of Annie's marijuana smoking. The tension escalates as Annie harbors resentment towards Alvy's persistent insistence on taking adult education courses (and driving her crazy when he reverses himself and criticizes them). She interprets this as a suggestion that she may not meet Alvy's intellectual standards, adding a layer of discord to their evolving dynamic.
The low point in Woody's one-liners arrives with tasteless remarks about Alvy's grandmother when Alvy tells Annie that his grandmother never had time to give any presents because she was "too busy being raped by Cossacks!"
I appreciated the humor in the joke about Sylvia Plath's suicide being misinterpreted as romantic due to a female college student mentality. However, the subsequent interior thoughts subtitles failed to resonate as they were unrelated to the actual conversation taking place. This disconnect between the spoken words and the accompanying thoughts undermined the comedic impact of the scene.
As Alvy and Annie's relationship stumbles over trivial issues, Woody's standup routine proves more effective than the one-liners that populate the narrative throughout. The joke at the college campus, where Woody reveals he cheated on his metaphysical exam by staring into the soul of the student next to him, stands out as a more successful moment of humor. However, Alvy's visit to Annie's Gentile family, including a portrayal of Annie's weird brother by Christopher Walken, fails to deliver genuine laughs.
The first split occurs after the two realize they're incompatible following their respective therapy sessions. We segue into Alvy dating the Rolling Stone reporter played by Shelley Duvall. While in bed together, Alvy receives a frantic phone call from Annie, who is freaking out after finding a big spider in her bathroom. This leads to a temporary reconciliation between the two, but the scene is not funny.
At this point, the narrative loses steam even further as the couple visits California, and Annie finally drifts away, falling in with a record producer played by Paul Simon. The film reaches a wistful get-together back in New York, but by now, the laughs are few and far between.
In the '70s, Woody Allen sometime adopted an apparent unconscious, aggressive, unappetizing persona, particularly towards women. While many one-liners miss the mark, occasional moments of endearment do emerge. Tony Roberts, as Alvy's buddy, stands out as a non-cringeworthy presence in a film marked by inconsistency.