Review of Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) by Nate W — 08 Jul 2009

Another spectacular success from Allen, Hannah and Her Sisters somewhat takes a series of vignettes (although they're a little more tied together than that implies) and spins the story of two years in a family of Hannah (duh) and her sisters (double duh).

The result is a warm, funny tale of family, relationships, love, passion, and timing, all anchored by a lot of absolutely hilarious scenes. As usual, Allen creates characters who go on living far beyond the end of the film, from Michael Caine's confused Elliot to Dianne Weist's uncertain Holly.

Watching the connections come and go is half the fun, but I can't review the film without bringing special attention to Allen's own subplot, about a TV writer who undergoes a crisis and struggle to find meaning.

It's one of Allen's funniest storylines, all the more so because the laughs are so strongly derived from the character and less the easy gags; there's a scene with a Catholic priest that had me laughing at the first line, before Allen even entered the frame.

But what really makes Hannah work is the heart and soul, as what seemed like a shaggy dog story finds a number of touching resolutions, with one set against the backdrop of a Marx brothers movie really touching a chord with me.

(And that says nothing of the perfection of the final scene.) It's a wonderful, joyous film, and probably tied with Annie Hall as my favorite Allen film that I've seen to date.