Review of Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) by Jake G — 23 Nov 2009

"The heart is a strange muscle," says Woody Allen's character near the end of HANNAH AND HER SISTERS, and this seems to be the grain of sand this pearl has grown around.

Filmed across the space of two Thanksgivings (with a last one as a sort of epilogue), HANNAH AND HER SISTERS is a classic tale of families and the problems and challenges they face. I have a very close knit, cohesive family, and sometimes I forget how family functions can sometimes be a regression. Seeing other family members, exposed to people you barely know, can bring out sore spots, minor bones of contention that tend to grow out of proportion. Allen's film is not only a document of these struggles, but of the ways people find each other's good sides in the end. This is Allen's most overt meditation on love, with sprinklings of humor that complement the tale nicely.

It's a peculiar movie in Allen's filmography, because it's not quite the film you'd expect. The overwrought neurotic's character, Woody Allen's trademark and brainchild, is delegated to a peripheral role, a frame story. The star of this movie, believe it or not, is Michael Caine.

A charismatic, charming man who seems to have it together both on the the screen and off, Caine doesn't seem to fit the bill for Allen's aberrant merry-go-round. But he does, perfectly, and that's part of what is so strange and wonderful about this movie.

The three sisters are the foundation and rock of the film, as the film's title and cover suggest. Their hangups and emotional issues are a major focus of the film, and perhaps it was even intended that way.

But Caine steals the show; his midlife crisis is the most interesting, or perhaps I could relate to him the most. Towards the end of the film, Allen's character assumes the limelight; it is the image of Caine, though, running manically across the street for a phone booth, that I expect will stay with me.

A smashing little film, perhaps underrated as it's in the shadow of movie's like SLEEPER and ANNIE HALL, HANNAH AND HER SISTERS is relevant for Thanksgiving and like all of Allen's films, simply sublime.