May is the month for Jewish American Heritage, so I figured I'd find something that spoke to a Jewish American life. This movie isn't exactly a movie that shows the struggles of Jewish life in America, but it showed up on almost every list I found for movies to watch during Jewish American Heritage Month. Woody Allen, the director and lead actor, is one of the most well known Jewish American storytellers out there, so his films show up on these lists consistently. I had originally planned on watching Yentl, but considering it was set in Poland, it doesn't really tell the story of a Jewish American, but more of a Jewish heritage in general. I also already have another Barbara Streisand movie on my list in my month of musicals I have planned. Since I haven't really watched any Woody Allen films, I felt it was only fitting to have at least one of his movies on my list.
I'm generally not a fan of Woody Allen's dry persona, so I never felt the need to watch any of his films. I think I've watched about five or ten minutes of Annie Hall once, trying to understand what the hype of this film was about, but I couldn't go any further. Now I will have to finish it, though, because I've decided that this is one of those films that's constantly recognized for whatever everyone thought it did for film and storytelling, so therefore, should be counted for this list.
Diane Keaton is also in this film, and I find that she plays the same character in pretty much every film she does. There are subtle nuances that differentiate most of her characters, but they're pretty much all a bit neurotic and flighty, so this will probably be a good fit for Woody Allen's dry personality.
I don't know much about this movie other than it's about the relationship of a couple who subsequently break up, but remain in contact. I'm not exactly sure if you can call it "friends," but I'll find out when I watch the movie. Woody Allen is described as the "typical neurotic Jewish New Yorker" in this film by numerous people online. It seems to be the reason that most of those people put them on their list of movies to watch for Jewish American Heritage Month. I guess I will find out, so without further ado, time for me to watch this movie!
I have to admit, I enjoyed the movie more than I thought I would. Diane Keaton, although a slightly neurotic character, was definitely not the same neurotic character I have seen her portray in movies in the 90s and 2000s. It was a perfect balance of neuroticism and grace. I still have a hard time seeing Woody Allen as the love interest, but it's his film, so he definitely had the creative freedom to make it so. Seeing him with a young Shelly Duvall (The Shining and Popeye) and Carol Kane (Princess Bride and Scrooged) seemed odd only because they were soo young compared to his 40 year old self. But this movie also shows the simplicity of a relationship between fairly normal people, faults and all. Alvy's neuroticism runs a little deeper than Annie's, but they find a way to make it work. I also like the term "Analysis" for therapy because it feels more like it's assistance for you to analyze yourself for a better understanding of your life as opposed to feeling like it's trying to fix something. In a way, this film also fits the theme of Mental Health Awareness Month since it shows how people use therapy/analysis to cope with their everyday lives. Not all mental health problems are life crippling and we need to recognize that there are little steps you can take to maintain your mental health for a balanced life.
I liked that there were scenes where they look back at different parts of their lives to analyze that, as well. I think a number of us would like to be able to relive some moments in exact detail like that. Memories tend to get hazy and fade away in our minds, so a literal trip down memory lane would be a blessing, although he didn't always visit good memories. You get an idea of his upbringing and her past relationships and how their perspectives change as they age. It was a little jarring at first to jump around chronologically, but you fall into a flow with the film and it begins to feel a little more smooth. You're introduced to their families and get an idea of what their lives were like and how those experiences molded their personalities. I absolutely loved seeing a young Christopher Walken as Annie's brother. He was so young, yet I saw so much of his future self in that performance. There was a definite difference in the two upbringings and you could see how one bloomed in the quiet while the other wilted under the noise. Although Annie seems a little naïve in the beginning, she really seemed to grow in strength of character while being with Alvy. Although it gave her some issues, she still learned how to be a stronger person and eventually outgrew their relationship. While Alvy missed her in the end, she definitely was able to excel in her life once she took those steps to propel her life forward into a new chapter. He was stuck in his habits and didn't want drastic change to his life, whereas she needed more to reach her full potential. As she's talking to the record producer, he looked so familiar to me, but I couldn't place it. Once I realized it was Paul Simon, I couldn't help but kick myself for not realizing it sooner! He was just so much younger than I had normally seen him that it didn't register. That's one thing about watching movies that were made over 30 years ago. Everyone looks so young now when your brain remembers their current appearance. It's the same with Jeff Goldblum's cameo, long before he was known for numerous movies like The Fly, Jurassic Park and Earth Girls are Easy (yes, I'm referencing that not-as-well-known movie because it's a guilty pleasure of mine).
This connection that Annie makes with Tony Lacey (record producer) is what finally drifts her away for good from Alvy's influence in her life. He's stagnated and stubbornly refuses to progress any further than where he's already at in life, and she's found that she wants more. Throughout their ups and downs, it still shows them being able to remain on positive ground with each other and that is a really good thing. Not all relationships need to end in some explosion of anger and bitterness. Sometimes things just fizzle and you have to let it go.
The themes of Jewish life are threaded throughout the movie in multiple ways. From Alvy thinking that so many things came back to a prejudice against Jews (sometimes he was right, but not always), to obvious disdain for Jewish people (Granny Hall), to the stereotypical familial relationships. It definitely showed what I would think a lot of Jewish New Yorkers went through at that time where old prejudices lingered, especially in the older generations. I can see why many mention this as a movie to watch during Jewish American Heritage Month.
I'm glad that I did watch this movie, despite my hesitations over watching any movie that Woody Allen was in. I honestly didn't think I would like it because of his dryness. Although there is a slight awkwardness to him and a slightly creepy vibe from his 40 year old self going after 20-year-olds, it wasn't as off-putting in this film as I would have thought. I wasn't a fan of his jokes and didn't even crack a smile during the few scenes he had where he was on stage for whatever performance Alvy was doing at the time. I guess it just wasn't my kind of humor. Not all movies can tick all the boxes of the things you like and avoid the things you don't. That's why we have favorites that we watch over and over again. This was worth watching and I wouldn't avoid watching it again, but I'm not sure I'd search it out over other films for a rewatch. That's okay, though. Not every film is going to stick to your soul. Some are just good films that you enjoy and check off the box of finally having watched it. That's what this movie is for me.
Join me next week as I watch Enter the Dragon with Bruce Lee in honor of Asian Pacific Heritage Month. I couldn't find it streaming for free anywhere, so I went to my personal Blockbuster (my Dad's house) to borrow it. It is available to rent on many online platforms, so you can always check it out that way.
For more movie love, check out my other blog, "You're Watching That Again?!"
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