Woody Allen’s 10 best films

The best Woody Allen all the films are mainly about peculiar people in uncomfortable situations, often reflecting on life and its idiosyncrasies. Allen is one of the most acclaimed American filmmakers in history, with a record 16 Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay, while also winning four Oscars during his career. He has also been recognized by the BAFTA Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Tony Awards, Emmy Awards, and even the Grammy Awards. He also won the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2014.

Allen began his career as a television writer before moving into film, where he developed a reputation for dialogue-based dramas, often featuring long monologues, sometimes performed by Allen himself. He’s done everything from slapstick comedies to romantic comedies to psychological dramas and thrillers, and for several years he seemed to have his pick of Hollywood’s best actors clamoring to work with him. In 2023, Allen released his 50th film directed with Lucky stroke.

10

Starting Point (2005)

A psychological thriller set in the world of tennis

In 2005, Woody Allen worked with Scarlett Johansson on the psychological thriller Starting point. Jonathan Rhys Meyers stars as a former professional tennis player named Chris Wilton, who marries into a wealthy family but finds his life turned upside down when he begins an affair with his brother-in-law’s girlfriend, Nola (Johansson). When Nola pressures Chris to divorce his wife and come to her, he finds that his entire social status could be jeopardized if he does so, so he makes the worst decision possible.

This is a much darker film than many of Allen’s releases and has a lot in common with modern film noir and psychological thrillers. The film received positive reviews, with a 77% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and Woody Allen considers it one of his best films (via The Age). The Oscars gave Allen a nomination for Best Original Screenplay, and he was also nominated for four Golden Globes, two for Allen, one for Best Motion Picture – Drama, and one for Johansson. However, he did not win any of the awards.

9

The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)

A fantasy romantic comedy about a movie character entering the real world

In 1985, Woody Allen directed the fantasy romantic comedy The Purple Rose of Cairowho sees a movie character comes to the real world to pursue a woman who watches him in his movie. Mia Farrow stars as Cecilia, a woman in an abusive marriage who loses her job. She distracts herself by going to the movies and focusing on a character in the film named Tom Baxter. Upon realizing that he is being watched, Tom leaves the scene and starts dating Cecelia, which causes the characters in the film to stop acting.

The actor who plays Tom (Jeff Daniels) shows up in town to resolve the issue and decides to ruin their relationship to force Baxter to return to the film. Critics loved the release, giving it a fresh 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviews praised Allen’s direction and script as “cheerful and sweet” and called it one of his most “whimsical” films. Allen was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and won a BAFTA for it, as well as Best Picture.

8

Blue Jasmine (2013)

A Manhattan socialite has to live with her working-class sister

Released in 2013, Woody Allen directed the comedy-drama Blue Jasminewho saw Cate Blanchett stars as Jasmine Francis, a Manhattan socialite who has fallen on hard times. She has a nervous breakdown and falls into heavy debt, being forced to live with her sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins), a working-class woman from San Francisco. Jasmine’s husband was arrested for fraud and one of his targets was Ginger and her husband. After Jasmine’s husband Hal dies by suicide, her life falls apart.

Critics praised the film, giving it a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, who said it was Allen at his “late period peak formReviews also praised Cate Blanchett’s performance as a woman falling apart and so immersed in her own delusions that there seemed to be no way out. The film received three Oscar nominations, with Blanchett winning Best Actress, while Sally Hawkins was nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Allen was nominated for Best Original Screenplay.

7

Bullets on Broadway (1994)

A black comedy crime film about a playwright forced to cast a mobster’s girlfriend

In Bullets on Broadwaya struggling playwright needs to find a way to finance his new production and agrees to cast the talentless girlfriend of a notorious mobster to get the money. John Cusack stars as David Shayne, an idealistic playwright who arrives on Broadway from Pittsburgh and seeks financing from a gangster named Nick Valenti (Joe Viterelli). However, the only way to get the money is to cast Nick’s girlfriend Olive (Jennifer Tilly) in the play.

Soon, a henchman named Cheech (Chazz Palminteri) begins accompanying Olive to rehearsals and gives David his own notes, which are surprisingly good ideas. However, with success comes turbulence for everyone involved. Critics gave the film a very high 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and the Oscars awarded it seven nominations, including Best Director and three different acting nominations. Dianne Wiest won Best Supporting Actress.

6

Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)

A mistress threatens to reveal an affair that leads to murderous results

Crimes and Misdemeanors is an existential dramedy that follows a respectable ophthalmologist named Judah (Alan Alda), who is cheating on his wife, and a documentary filmmaker named Clifford (Woody Allen). Judah stages the murder of his lover to protect his own reputation, while Cliff finds his love for a woman rejected when she chooses to be with someone Cliff despises. Their two stories are parallel and end with the two men crossing paths.

The theme of the film is to analyze moral dilemmas and whether people can continue in life knowing they have done something terrible. The title and themes are all based on the Russian novel Crime and Punishmentalthough the film’s ending is the opposite of the novel’s resolution. Critics praised the film with a 92% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes, most of the praise going to Allen’s script. Crimes and Misdemeanors It received three Oscar nominations but won none.

5

Midnight in Paris (2011)

A fantasy time travel film set in Paris

Woody Allen combined his love of classic cinema with a fantasy comedy story about a disillusioned screenwriter who travels back in time to the Lost Generation of 1920s Paris. Owen Wilson is Gil Pender, a screenwriter who is on vacation in Paris with his fiancée Inez (Rachel McAdams), who is visiting her wealthy parents. However, he ends up traveling back in time to the 1920s and visiting Zelda Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso and more.

Critics praised Midnight in Parisgranting it a recent 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, calling Allen’s script “sweetly sentimental” and “charming”. Owen Wilson also received praise for playing a role that Allen had reportedly written for himself three decades earlier. Allen won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Midnight in Paris while the film also received nominations for Best Film, Best Director and Best Art Direction.

4

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

A dramatic comedy about a big family

In 1986, Woody Allen directed Hannah and her sisters. The film is a family comedy-drama set over two years, starting and ending at the family’s Thanksgiving dinner. Mia Farrow stars as Hannah, Michael Caine as her husband, and Barbara Hershey and Dianne Wiest as sisters. The main arc is about Hannah and her husband, Elliot, and their marital problems when he has an affair with one of her sisters. Meanwhile, the other sister, Holly, is struggling to pursue a career in acting.

Allen structures the film similarly to Ingmar Bergman Fanny and Alexandrefocusing on three consecutive holidays, one in time of contentment, the second in turmoil and the third showing the result. The praise went to how Allen was able to switch between stories and keep things moving and interesting, awarding him a recent rating of 91%. Hannah and her sisters It received seven Oscar nominations, winning Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Caine) and Best Supporting Actress (Dianne Wiest).

3

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Two American women vacation in Barcelona and fall in love with the same man

Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall star as nonconformists Cristina and the traditional Vicky spend holidays together in Barcelona. There, the two meet an artist named Juan Antonio Gonzalo (Javier Bardem). Both women fall in love with him, but Cristina finally stays with him, only to discover that he is still in love with his ex-wife Maria (Penélope Cruz), who suggests that they begin a polygamous romantic relationship. However, things are never stable for any of the people involved.

Things get even more complicated when Vicky also becomes involved with Juan, creating an intriguing love rectangle. Critics praised the film, giving it an 80% Rotten Tomatoes score, calling it a “seductive tragicomedy”, with praise for the cast and the Spanish locations. Penélope Cruz earned the film’s only Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, while also winning Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes.

2

Manhattan (1979)

A writer in New York tries to find love after his wife leaves him

Manhattan is a film that has a complicated relationship with many fans, thanks to what has happened in the years since it was released. However, considered on its own merits, the film is one of Woody Allen’s best films and one of the best drama films of the 1970s. Manhattan stars Woody Allen as Isaac, a 42-year-old comedy writer whose second wife left him for a woman. He begins dating a 17-year-old high school student (Mariel Hemingway) and falls in love with his best friend’s lover (Diane Keaton).

The idea of ​​Allen casting himself as a teenager has a very different meaning considering his future wife, Soopn-Yi Previn, was 22 when she left Mia Farrow to begin a relationship with her adopted daughter. However, this is a film that has been universally acclaimed, critically praised with a recent 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2001.

1

Annie Hall (1977)

A man tries to discover the reason for his failure to find love

Woody Allen’s best film of his career came with the 1977 satirical comedy-drama Anne Hall. Allen stars as Alvy Singer, a man who is trying to figure out why his relationship with Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) failed. Allen wrote the role specifically for Keaton to play. Although labeled as a satire, it fits this role because Allen slightly deconstructs the romantic comedy genre by speaking directly to the camera, breaking the fourth wall and talking to viewers about what is happening in the film.

The film offers great moments of comedy, but also takes the story seriously, and the result was unlike anything in theaters at the time. It turned out to be a critical breakthrough, with reviews praising Woody AllenMastery of writing and directing, with a near-perfect 97% Rotten Tomatoes score. It also won four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress (Diane Keaton). The Library of Congress added it to the National Film Registry in 1992.