Woody Allen’s Annie Hall made me question love, while simultaneously reaffirming its strength, all while making me laugh. All opinions against Allen aside, the humor in Annie Hall was intelligent and often refreshing while being sarcastic and often mildly whiney. The honesty in both characters and the perspective on love gave the movie depth. Annie Hall is the story of two people finding their way together through love and a relationship in New York. Alvy Singer, a comedian and New York native falls in love with Annie Hall, a Wisconsin singer living in the Big City. The movie follows their love and fading love, reminiscence of past relationships, and all the ups and downs of conflicted wants in a fading relationship.
The frequently explore
d idea of love and passion fading gave an angle on love typically avoided in movies. More often movies show the optimistic and ever-prevailing side of love, while Annie Hall showed that sometimes, it just fades away. Alvy and Annie try again to make things work several times but the movie ends on a realistic note of “it just doesn’t always work out.” The movie ends on the hopeful note that at least the two are still friends, but Alvy finds himself wishing things with Annie had ended differently.
Annie Hall is dynamic, with a wide variety of shots, often in a jumbled chronology. The ups and downs and back and forths of the movie ever leaves you bored and the overall brevity of the movie doesn’t leave you wanting more, but doesn’t drag in the least bit. Allen’s stylistic choices to brea the third wall, interact with theaudience and other characters in the setting of the movie, and have strangers on the street share opinions of deeply personal things in the main character’s lives adds another level of interest. Many pop culture references and jokes of the day also add to the richness of the movie, although they simultaneously date the movie, and take a significant portion away from later generation’s viewing. Annie Hall is a fun, witty movie and despite its lack-luster real world view on love, it makes viewers excited to go out and fall in love.
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