Review of Annie Hall (1977) by Ivan M — 03 May 2012

An off-beat romantic comedy from Woody Allen. Some speculate that it is loosely autobiographical concerning Allen's relationship with co-star Diane Keaton, though Allen denies this. Many cite this as Allen's finest film, and while it is a good film, it is in my opinion inferior to most of his other work.

I read that the screenplay was originally written as a murder mystery and then, due to complications, they simply removed every scene except those which told the story of Alvie and Annie's romance.

I do not doubt this, as structurally it's a complete mess, jumping back and forth through time with no warning or explanation, which makes it frustrating at times. Nevertheless, it's enjoyable for the most part.

In one of the film's best scenes, a pompous intellectual loudly attempts to impress his girlfriend with in-depth film analysis on Fellini's later work. Ironically, some of what he says applies to this film itself: "It lacks a cohesive structure, you get the feeling he's not absolutely sure what it is he wants to say!".