Annie Hall (1977) United Artists 📢 Director: Woody Allen 💰 Producer: Charles H. Joffe 👫 Cast: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane, Paul Simon, Janet Margolin, Shelley Duvall, Christopher Walken, Colleen Dewhurst. 🏆 Awards ceremony: -50th Academy Awards: April 3, 1978. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, California. 🎭 Other films nominated for Best Picture this year: -The Goodbye Girl. -Julia. -Star Wars. -The Turning Point. 📕 Plot summary: Alvy Singer (WOODY ALLEN) is a comedian in New York who falls in love with a singer named Annie Hall (DIANE KEATON). The film focuses on Alvy's sexual frustrations in his relationships with women, including Annie and others. Unfortunately their relationship comes to an end when both of them accept it isn't going in the direction they had both hoped. 💥 Standout scene(s): I liked the scene where Woody Allen walks along the street casually engaging with random strangers whilst enquiring about their sex lives. This was followed by a scene with Woody Allen being a cartoon character in a Snow White movie, which admittedly did make me laugh out loud. 🔑 Facts: -The 50th Academy Awards. -Nominated for 5 Academy Awards, it won 4: Best Picture, Director, Actress (Diane Keaton), Screenplay (original). -Third Best Picture appearance for Diane Keaton (The Godfather, The Godfather Part II). -After being accosted on the street by two random jerks, Woody Allen's character greets Diane Keaton by telling her he was standing with the cast from The Godfather. Spot the reference, anybody? 🙂 Personal opinion: Having never seen the film before I simply saw the words "Woody" and "Allen" and my initial instinct was "oh" and "no". After we get through the most bland title card and opening credits (which surprised me a little when Allen's name did not precede the title card) we are treated to a fairly comfortable hour and a half of a decent film. Woody Allen has a very distinct style with his movies. Fast-talking dialogue, random one-liners which are said in straight face but deliberately provocative to the audience, and his character is generally always the same nervous guy who acts in exactly the same way. By the way, there is a scene where he makes love to Diane Keaton whilst keeping his socks on! That is inexcusable! Great cameos from soon-to-be Oscar-awarded Christopher Walken, singer Paul Simon and a quick glimpse and you'll miss him Jeff Goldblum. All things considered I really enjoyed this film and was surprised with myself because I went into it thinking that it was bloody Woody Allen, but by the end of it I was thinking that it was not-so-bad Woody Allen. There is a definite quality about it that is very unique and deliberate and reveals a creative and artistic intelligence in its director and star. Can't believe I actually just said that. A note about the editing is that it flowed fluently and showed good pacing throughout. Entertaining and surprisingly watchable. Woody Allen: "I'm balding on top but that's not the worst thing you could say about me". Me: Yep, agreed. Did it deserve the Oscar? ✅❌Oooo this is a tough one because of STAR WARS. Annie Hall definitely deserves the award based on being the better production, but Star Wars has turned into something nobody could have imagined back in 1977 when it first came out. For the first time in 51 films I am going to sit on the fence with this one. ⭐️7/10

Review date: 28 March 2025