A neurotic New York centric comedian (Woody Allen) reflects on his relationship and eventual break up of the love of his life, Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) in an attempt to find out why the relationship didn't work out. This Oscar winning film was a turning point for Woody Allen's career as it signaled the birth of a major American film maker. Seen today, some 35 years later, some of the edge has been taken off by the repetition of his signature style (and persona) in his other films but it remains a classic look at a bittersweet romance between a mismatched couple. The laughs are still there (though a joke about sex with 16 year old girls seems uncomfortable knowing what we now do) but the film's cultural references, so witty and topical at the time, seem rather pretentiously intellectual today which is not out of character with Allen's anti-intellectual intellectual persona. Keaton's best actress win seems based on her winning charm rather than any remarkable acting (she seemed mystified at the win herself). Still, personal preferences for his later work aside, it's a gratifying film. With Christopher Walken, Shelley Duvall, Colleen Dewhurst, Tony Roberts, Paul Simon, Carol Kane, Jeff Goldblum, Janet Margolin, Beverly D'Angelo, Shelley Hack and in her film debut, Sigourney Weaver.
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