Annie Hall
I’ve never seen a Woody Allen film. Hell, until a few years ago, I thought “Woody Allen” was someone that people had mistaken for the guy from Home Improvement.
Even Wilson isn’t sure.
So, when I admitted to a friend that I had no idea who Allen was or what his movies were like, I was encouraged to explore Allen’s films. And, months later, I did: I found this movie on Netflix, and gave it a whirl.
The film’s plot follows Alvy, an eccentric comedian (of sorts) through his misadventures in dating the titular character: Annie Hall.
Pros:
- I totally identify with Allen’s idea of the opressive nature of life. Alvy feels constantly oppressed by life- whether it’s anti-semites, his girlfriends (past or present), or the act of driving. I love the way Allen shows his audience the distractions of life. Particularly, I enjoyed a scene in which Alvy is deeply bothered by a man and his pretentious-sounding critique, his claim of understanding, some filmmaker- to which Alvy breaks the fourth wall and addresses the audience, then drags said filmmaker out to rebut the critic’s points. Alvy (who, I should have mentioned earler, is played by Allen) ends the scene by saying: “Boy, if life were only like this”.
If only.
Also, this is a bit non-sequitor, and maybe a bit revelatory, but Allen hits the nail on the head with his inner monologues. This is to say I identify; maybe not everyone has these kinds of paranoid insecurities, but I can definitely identify. These insecurities help make the characters seem more human. Which leads me to my next point...
- The realistic portrayal of people is simultaneously refreshing and repulsing. I get the feeling that these pros are a) too closely related to be separate entries, and b) totally subjective because I identify with his views. Still, watching this movie, even with the scenes that poke fun of people and their stereotypes, I get the feeling that Allen has made people his business. Maybe I’m wrong, and the thought of human contact has become so repellent to Allen that he has created these stereotypes simply to warn people of his feelings about other people. Whether I’m right or wrong doesn’t matter; I’m convinced that Allen knows people. Some of the characters in this movie are so endearing that I feel like I could befriend them in real life (particularly Duane, who is a bright shade of crazy). Others are so repulsive that you can’t help but scream things through the television at them (like the man in line at the movies, or the Bob Dylan date). Regardless, the people behave like real goddamn people: not dullards that correspond to predetermined words written offstage on cue cards. Realistic characters? In 1977? Whatever happened to that trend?
It went right up Hollywood’s nose.
Cons:
- Allen’s Alvy can be kind of a baby. An indecisive baby, at that. Just because I identify with him doesn’t mean I have to like him. Still, this idea is almost central to the plot of the movie: at least twice, Alvy discusses a Groucho Marks joke that he claims is a defining factor in his life: “I would never want to belong to any club that would have someone like me for a member.” This, despite being in the “cons” section, is probably one of the most brilliant pieces of anything ever written*. Anyway, Alvy is neurotic, sexually insatiable, and frankly, spoiled. Part of it is the Jewish stereotype that he may or may not be criticizing; I don’t know, because my knowledge of Allen is limited. Still, his character tended to irritate me. To make a hip-hop analogy, I see Alvy as a little more “bump”, and a little less “grind”.
Ain’t nothin’ wrong...
- I have a hard time believing that Alvy can function in any environment. Allen is funny. I’m glad he decided to play this role. Following some of the hypocritical natures of the characters in this film, I liken Allen as Alvy as me making a movie in the modern day and casting myself opposite of someone like Emma Stone or Jennifer Lawrence. Your first, most important question to an idea like that should be: “But who would believe that?” That’s what gets me. It seems like nothing Alvy does in the film is really believable. How is he meeting (and dating... and sleeping with) these women? How is he not (staying) in jail? How does someone like Alvy get a job in the first place? I think here is the point where I have to admit my own inadequacies: just because I don’t understand how it can happen doesn’t mean that it couldn’t happen. I mean, people every single day are out there, doing trite, meaningless work, and being paid incredible sums of money for it: and I don’t have the slightest clue as to how this happens. I guess the old saying is true: “the sun also rises”.
To be completely honest, I didn’t think this movie inspired in me the attention needed to get beyond the core narrative. Most of it was one sarcastic scene after another, each punctuated by Allen’s dry wit. That’s not to say it wasn’t mildly enjoyable; it takes a certain audience. I guess I was expecting something a little more concise in the story-telling department. The ending, however, was like a splash of cold water on my tired face: I won’t spoil it, even though this movie has been finished for nearly 40 years. Instead, I’ll leave you on this note: most of us really do need the eggs.
B