Delayed Reaction: Annie Hall

The Pitch: It's funny Woody Allen but he gives his costar more to do. And, it's right before he becomes self-conscious about what people expect him to make next.

A man looks back on what went wrong in his last relationship.

I have a complicated relationship with Annie Hall. I still think Star Wars should've been the winner for Best Picture at the Oscars in 1977, and I've always held a grudge against Annie Hall for that (fair or not). I'm a big fan of 1970s Woody Allen. (Note: This is actually my second time seeing Annie Hall) Annie Hall is maybe my third favorite of his movies from that decade, so it bothers me that this is the one that the public regards as his best movie.

I get it though. Especially in hindsight, this is the right movie of Allen's to win Best Picture. It has everything and at exactly the right time. This is the last movie Allen made while he still took his time. After this, there was only one time from 1977-2017 (!) that he took more than a year you make a movie. It shows when he takes his time on a movie. The script is so much crisper, even when it's designed to look as messy as Annie Hall. This is also right as Allen transitions away from straight comedies. So, Annie Hall has all the laughs but with the romance too. Most importantly, this has Diane Keaton in peak form. This was her third movie with Allen. He knew exactly how to write and direct for her. She knew exactly how to deliver what he wrote for her. Simply put, this movie is everything that's right about Woody Allen's movies with none of the problems that showed up later.

Verdict: Strongly Recommend