Annie Hall (1977)

Country: USA
Director: Woody Allen
Screenwriters: Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman
Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts

Annie Hall is deceivingly simple to understand: it's about a cynical comedian who muses over his failed relationship with a woman, the titular Annie Hall, who was far too free-spirited for him to ever hold onto. But to keep it at that would be a disservice to what could arguably be Woody Allen's most iconic work. Thanks to the film, no longer was Allen just the scrawny fast-talker in broad comedies like Bananas, he was now a seriously filmmaker with some real insight into human relationships that typical romantic comedies usually gloss over.

The film not only cemented Diane Keaton as the trendiest BAMF in Hollywood (with her femme-Charlie-Chaplin-esque attire), but it also defined Allen's signature style—that is, a neurotic, heartbroken protagonist, a focus on slices of life, hearty and intellectual dialogue, and picturesque view of Manhattan. —TA