‘Annie Hall’ may be funniest movie

About 80 percent of my cinematic appreciation started with comedy. I’ve been an avid watcher of Comedy Central since I was, like seven. I’ve been exposed to an array of comedy, from every style to every country...well, almost every country. Most of my friends think I have the strangest taste in comedy; from Arrested Development to Drop Dead Gorgeous a lot of the comedy I enjoy isn’t always the most accessible. I like jokes that don’t have punch-lines; I like to work for my comedy. Woody Allen is that neurotic master of comedy and commentary who’s given us, as far as I’m concerned, the funniest movie of all time.

Annie Hall (1977) is said to have been based on Allen’s previous romance with co-star and semi-muse, Diane Keaton — one of the most underappreciated actresses ever. Allen plays Alvy Singer, a neurotic NY comedian who falls in love with the ditsy Annie Hall. In the film, Allen explores the neuroses and worries that attract one person to another, only to have those same things push them apart. Annie Hall is a quiet, genuine look at the loves of your life and the complacency that can set in when a relationship has run its course. What I appreciate about Allen just as a writer and director is that, if anything, he tries to be truthful about life’s experiences, no matter how tough those pills may be to swallow. And he doesn’t try to be subjective. He plainly says this is what I’ve been through, you’ve probably been through it too. That’s why Annie Hall works so well. The comedy is tragic at times, but we know that this is coming from somewhere within the writer and director, so it doesn’t seem preachy. I believe in finding the comedy in the tragic, which is something that Allen does in almost all of his films.

With Annie Hall, he speaks frankly and comically about the dissolution of a relationship and all those futile attempts to find comfort in someone else, that follow. There are so many things in this film that future writers have attempted to copy. There’s the famous balcony scene where Alvy and Annie have gone on a date, and as they converse, subtitles pop up on the screen showing their inner commentaries. We’ve seen this technique used a countless number of times since 1977, almost beaten to a pulp actually. Then there’s the heartbreakingly funny scene in which Annie, now growing increasingly distant from the relationship, excerpts herself from an intimate moment between herself and Alvy; her physical body is with him, but her soul is not. Her ‘soul’ walks across the room and settles herself on a chair, reading a book, completely removed from the moment. Then there’s the scene where they conquer lobsters in the kitchen; it’s Allen’s understanding of the simplicity that can bring appreciation and joy in a relationship.

Annie Hall is a foray into perfect comedy, and if there’s any Woody Allen movie that you have to see, it’s this one. It captures all the perfect comedy that Allen loves to pull from his own neuroses, his own experiences. The autobiographical elements are incredibly obvious, but they always are. I love that Keaton is unashamed and lacking irony in her portrayal of Annie. She’s just too easy to love, without actually being able to love her being. The comedy is here, it’s not always spoon-fed to you. Sure, Allen has some obviously comical moments, but most of his writing requires a keen eye and understanding of something beyond the surface of what’s comedy and what’s drama. The movie was the first and last comedy to win Best Picture at the Oscars and it got Keaton the Best Actress award. I can certainly see why. There have been great comedies before and since Annie Hall, but there’s nothing around that’s been able to explore an emotion as common as love in such a simple and refreshing manner, with such amazingly quotable dialogue.