Review of Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) by Spangle — 20 Nov 2016

The films of Woody Allen manage to brilliantly blend comedy and drama, while examining life and all of the mysteries it holds. Hannah and Her Sisters is one of - if not the - best examples of this in Allen's work. Focusing on a series of characters undergoing crises in their lives, relationships, and careers, Hannah and Her Sisters is both funny and profound in ways that only a film by Woody Allen can aspire to be.

As always, the best part of any Woody Allen film is the writing and the characters. Hannah and Her Sisters is no exception. Witty and smart dialogue complements terrifically crafted characters. Hannah (Mia Farrow) craves affection internally, but is off-putting due to her appearance as the "best" sister and being far more complete as a person than those around her. This can cause great tension for her and both the writing and Farrow's performance capture this dichotomy terrifically. She is dependent on her husband, Elliott (Michael Caine), but has no idea how to show this devotion. Similarly, Elliott is terrifically written as a man who lusts after Hannah's sister, Lee (Barbara Hershey). As opposed to Hannah's ex-husband Mickey (Woody Allen), his internal turmoil is much more internal and subtle, yet still ever present. Unsure of who he wants to be and his own life, Elliott's struggles lead him to stray, even if - deep down - he knows it will not satisfy him. However, one of my favorite characters here is Mickey. A hypochondriac who has an actual brush with death that leaves him lost, searching for meaning in life, and exploring religion, it is through Mickey that Allen really explores the meaning of the film. Hannah and Her Sisters is ultimately a film about life and finding purpose. Mickey, at one point, suggests the only point to life is love and that certainly seems to be the case here. The characters have no other purpose and are left entirely unfulfilled until they are introduced to the one they are meant to be with, even if it does not click immediately. The only consistent thread throughout the whole film is the search for love. Every character does it and, once they find it, transform into an entirely new person.

This is really what makes the writing so strong. For a wide cast of characters, Hannah and Her Sisters slack with none of them and develops each sister, Elliott, and Mickey, with great dimension and craft that makes them wholly resemble a real human being. Each character has very human struggles and the film is unafraid to bring them to the forefront, allowing the film to be incredibly accessible and relatable to anybody searching for their purpose in life.

Hannah and Her Sisters continues to impress when considering the acting. As always, Allen's neurotic approach to his own character is charming, hilarious, and smart. He is greatly complemented here by a sturdy performance from Mia Farrow and an uncharacteristically neurotic performance from Michael Caine. Though less funny than Allen, Caine's character is certainly just as erratic and lost, yet Caine's approach is vastly different though still terrific. As Hannah's sisters, Barbara Hershey and Dianne Wiest are also terrific, as both women embark on their own personal journeys of self-discovery through the film. Lost entirely, Hershey greatly captures the way in which Lee is unsatisfied and going back to school in order to find her purpose. A typical path for many lost adults, Lee's story is certainly a highly relatable one and Hershey does a great job playing the role in a very grounded fashion. Finally, Wiest plays the recovering drug addict, acting, and now writing sister very well. By the end, she truly makes the greatest transformation from a paranoid, spastic sister to a stoic and well collected one who beams confidence, rather than insecurity.

Hannah and Her Sisters certainly lived up to the hype with terrific characters, writing, and acting. Smart, witty, and insightful, the film does a tremendous job examining midlife crises and the search for who we are and what role we are meant to play in life.