Annie Hall (1977)

Loved it from start to finish. I had some idea what it was going to be like, just from cultural osmosis, but, yeah, it was great. Woody Allen's neurotic yet likable onscreen persona is an entertaining narrator, as perhaps he only should be, since he is a comedian in the film as well as in real life.

Like the narrator, the film itself is nervous, clever. The fourth wall is broken so smoothly that you don't have the time to complain. In a flashback, children speak as their adult selves. An animated Woody Allen speaks with the evil queen from Snow White. Strangers on the street suddenly have something relevant to say. This isn't to give the impression that there was any more than a light seasoning of surreality in the film, though. The focus is still on the dialogue.

The dialogue was smart, fast-paced, and felt real, if a little too clever to be believed. Good thing, too, since the movie basically consists of people talking: about or to themselves, with others, to the camera. Long takes allow for long, involved conversations filled with literary and pop culture references.

(I'm greatly enjoying getting into Woody Allen's work. Looking forward to watching more great movies of his.)