Annie Hall

I thought of that old joke, y'know, the, this... this guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, "Doc, uh, my brother's crazy; he thinks he's a chicken." And, uh, the doctor says, "Well, why don't you turn him in?" The guy says, "I would, but I need the eggs." Well, I guess that's pretty much now how I feel about relationships; y'know, they're totally irrational, and crazy, and absurd, and... but, uh, I guess we keep goin' through it because, uh, most of us... need the eggs.
—Alvy Singer

Annie Hall is a 1977 American romantic comedy film directed by Woody Allen from a script co-written with Marshall Brickman. One of Allen's most popular films, it won numerous awards at the time of its release, including four Academy Awards, and in 2002 Roger Ebert referred to it as "just about everyone's favorite Woody Allen movie".

Allen had previously been known as a maker of zany comedies; the director has described Annie Hall as "a major turning point", as it brought a new level of seriousness to his work, in addition to consolidating his signature cinematic style, which includes long, realistically written scenes of conversation, often shot in uninterrupted takes, and an equal thematic investment in both hilarity and heartbreak.

Tropes used in Annie Hall include:

Separate therapists: Do you have sex often?
Alvy: Hardly ever. Maybe three times a week.
Annie: Constantly. I'd say three times a week.

Alvy (voice-over): And Ivan Ackerman. Always the wrong answer. Always.
Ivan Ackerman: Seven and three is nine.
Alvy: (Face Palm)

Alvy: What did the doctor say?
Annie: Well, she said that I should probably come five times a week. And you know something? I don't think I mind analysis at all. The only question is, is 'Will it change my wife?'
Alvy: Will it change your wife?!
Annie: Will it change my life?
Alvy: Yeah, but you said, 'Will it change my wife?'
Annie: No I didn't. I said, 'Will it change my life, Alvy?'
Alvy: (directly to audience) She said, 'Will it change my wife?' You heard that, because you were there. So I'm not crazy.

  • Fun with Subtitles: Alvy and Annie's first awkward conversation comes with these.
  • Genius Bonus: Alvy's stand up routines in universe. This is Lampshaded by Annie, who--through reading books that Alvy buys for her--begins to understand more of the references he makes.
  • Godwin's Law: "What's with all these awards? They're always giving out awards! Best Fascist Dictator: Adolf Hitler!"
  • I Have to Go Iron My Dog:

Dwayne: Can I confess something? I tell you this as an artist, I think you'll understand. Sometimes when I'm driving... on the road at night... I see two headlights coming toward me. Fast. I have this sudden impulse to turn the wheel quickly, head-on into the oncoming car. I can anticipate the explosion. The sound of shattering glass. The... flames rising out of the flowing gasoline.
Alvy: Right. Well, I have to - I have to go now, Dwayne, because I, I'm due back on the planet Earth.

  • Imagine Spot: Seamlessly integrated in many times, most notably the scene in the movie theater line where he pulls in Marshall McLuhan to disprove a blowhard prattling on and on about him. "Boy, if life were only like this!"
  • I Was Quite a Looker: Alvy's elderly aunt.

Aunt Tessie: I was quite a lively dancer!

Alvy: Is there booing there?

Alvy: Stop calling me "Max".
Rob: Why, Max? It's a good name for you.

    • Reality Subtext: Woody Allen always used "Max" as his fake name in hotel registers.
  • Nietzsche Wannabe: A number of Alvy's opinions on life and relationships reek of pessimism and nihilism, best exemplified by the film's opening lines:

Alvy: There's an old joke, um... Two elderly women are at a Catskill Mountain resort, and one of 'em says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know; and such small portions." Well, that's essentially how I feel about life--full of loneliness and misery and suffering and unhappiness, and it's all over much too quickly.

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