Review of Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) by Stuart K — 23 Apr 2012

Woody Allen found box-office success and another Oscar with this multi-layered romantic comedy drama. It has a massive ensemble, with brilliant, sharp writing, even if Woody did lift a lot of it from some of his own life experiences, much to the ire of a few people, but it would be his biggest box-office hit until Midnight In Paris (2011).

It's set over 2 years, starting with a Thanksgiving dinner hosted by Hannah (Mia Farrow) and her husband Elliot (Michael Caine), but Elliot feels isolated in his marriage, and he has a crush on Hannah's sister Lee (Barbara Hershey), who herself is in a loveless marriage to reclusive, temperamental artist Frederick (Max Von Sydow), and she wants something different as well.

Meanwhile, there's TV writer Mickey (Woody), a hypochondriac who examines his life after a health scare, and dabbles in Catholicism and Hare Krishna, but he finds solace in Hannah's other sister Holly (Dianne Wiest), Mickey was once married to Hannah, but they divorced years ago, Mickey dated Holly after he split from Hannah, but that was a disaster, but they start dating once again after Mickey's existential crisis.

It's a multi-layered story with a brilliant cast, (Caine and Wiest won Oscars as well), and it combines comedy and drama perfectly, with Caine and Hershey's storyline having the emotional gravitas, and Woody's story strand being done for laughs.

It's a winning combination that Woody would use a few years later.