No matter what your personal feelings about Woody Allen are, there is no denying that he is an amazing screenwriter; indeed, he is one of the best of all time. He has by and large the most Oscar nominations and most Oscar wins for Best Original Screenplay, with an outstanding 15 nominations and three wins. Allen's best - and most romantic - picture is certainly "Annie Hall" (1977).
The movie is the perfect mix of Allen's incredible one-liners with the great character development he started cultivating later in his career.
Allen has always been an expert at clever and absurd little lines about all aspects of life, and it's fascinating to hear his riffs on relationships and love. There are countless lines I could list here that showcase Allen's wit and insight. It's no wonder why Allen is one of the most influential writer-directors in history.
"Annie Hall" is a film that is unafraid to break convention at every turn to expand the film's ideas and relationships. The film breaks the fourth wall, becomes a cartoon and switches tones at the drop of a hat.
This all keeps the movie vivacious and unpredictable. But these touches aren't just random little add-ons, but rather are techniques to help Allen deconstruct the "rom-com" structure and make a film that goes deeper than most other films do.
Allen isn't the only one who makes this a classic, as Diane Keaton also brings vivaciousness to the screen that elevates every scene she is in.
Her performance is the perfect balance of whimsy and nervous energy that both nicely counters Allen's neurotic liveliness and creates a character that feels fully realized.
She is a dreamer with big dreams, but at the same time, she is also a woman who is highly self-conscious.
The picture is a hilarious and interesting relationship drama, but it also does an amazing job of making its locations - New York and Los Angeles - integral characters in the film.
The shots buzz with New York's streets and people, and they move at the city's fast pace.
The Los Angeles scenes also teem with that city's atmosphere and give Allen a new background to bounce his characters and zany dialogue off of.
The film is an interesting portrait of the two cities during the '70s, and it deftly shows these cities' inhabitants.
Since its release, countless films have tried to copy the characteristics that make "Annie Hall" so beloved, and most fail miserably.
Romantic comedies often try to have a quirky and wild female lead, but they usually just end up making her a cliche rather than a fully developed person.
Numerous films have also tried to mimic Allen's capricious tonal swifts and deep philosophical musings with little luck. The more films try to unsuccessfully match what Allen does so effortlessly, the more I admire his craft and raw talent.
And that's not even saying anything about his extreme work ethic - he has essentially made a film a year for the last 30 years, a seemingly impossible cinematic feat.
"Annie Hall" ends on a bittersweet note that nicely skews without feeling too cynical.
Allen loses Annie, but that doesn't make him bitter enough to completely give up on love.
He cared about Annie and knows he has grown in the process because of it.
It's as the film's famous last line says: "That's how I feel about relationships. They're totally crazy, irrational and absurd, but we keep going through it because we need the eggs."
It is the perfect way to end this classic film: on a joke that is poignant and a little bit sad, yet still hopeful.
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Joe Stile is a senior majoring in political science. He can be reached at Joseph.Stile@tufts.edu.
