What's the best Woody Allen film?

[the science eel]

As an old avid fan, I stumbled and fell after the disappointment of (but oddly affecting at the time in my personal life), Celebrity (1998) and have not seen any Woody Allen film since.

What subsequent films does the panel advise me to go from here?

His (only) artistic slump I'd say came straight after that one. Stuff like Small Time Crooks and The Curse of the Jade Scorpion are poor (some would group Hollywood Ending in with those two but I like the basic idea, and there are some very funny lines). But then it all picked up with Vicky Cristina Barcelona - and I don't think he's done anything bad since (altho' I thought Blue Jasmine was insanely overrated).

I generally agree with the lists and what's been said so far except I'm not quite as keen on Annie Hall as many. I prefer a straighter narrative. And he's really annoying in that one (or at least his persona is).

I think he had a very good run in the 90s - Husbands and Wives, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Bullets Over Broadway, Mighty Aphrodite, Everyone Says I Love You and Deconstructing Harry are all GREAT films. He's still experimenting a little with the form, there are some fantastic lines, and the supporting actors are fabulous. I like the older Woody's acting, actually, where he's a little less cocky and a little more confused. He's funnier that way, dare I say. I miss him when he's not in his own films.

A top ten, roughly in order:

Radio Days
Broadway Danny Rose
Crimes and Misdemeanours
Sleeper
Hannah and Her Sisters
Manhattan
Take The Money and Run
Bananas
Annie Hall
Midnight In Paris

[Absorb the anus burn]

Late Woody is a mixed bag... Midnight In Paris is overrated, but beautiful too look at. Scoop is a lot of fun, but thin as air. Blue Jasmine is hardly vintage, but well acted and moving.

Cassandra's Dream and Celebrity are the only two I'd avoid.

[marquis_de_sad]

Midnight in Paris is a tough one. Is he deliberately making caricatures of Lost Generation figures to satirise the nostalgia that his own film is a commentary on, or is he just having his cake and eating it? I'd like to say Midnight in Paris is a dumb film made by a clever man, but when I think about the Michael Sheen character, I can't help but feel like it's a dumb film made by a man who's not as clever as he thinks he is.

Stardust Memories is really too much. It's like James Cordon doing Gervais doing Brent. Cheating.

I feel like Marshall Brickman deserves more credit than he gets. He co-wrote the two best Allen rom-coms, Annie Hall and Manhattan, and I can't help but feel that Woody works better when he has someone to rein him in.

Finally, I've mentioned this before, but do not read Woody Allen on Woody Allen, as you will want to stuff the entire thing inside your mouth just to relieve the boredom.

[Skip Bittman]

Marshall Brickman needed a bit of Woody Allen to add some laughs to his movies. Simon? Blegh. Sleeper without any of the charm. Admittedly, The Manahattan Project probably didn't need more zingers.

Even a later, not so funny ones Woody Allen would've directed a MUCH better Jersey Boys, Clint Eastwood seemed to be running on autopilot.

That interview book isn't the best, but at least there isn't any Richard Schickel.

The issue of the "honesty" in incredibly indulgent (obviously!) arthouse pastiche is interesting. You can definitely see him attempting to address (or exploit) his relationship with Louise Lasser in all the Rampling bits. It hits on a lot of painful truths amidst the antics of an only SLIGHTLY overblown cartoon character version of himself. The sting of truth might make some of the barbs work better, but I don't particularly care if he's dishonest about himself and his girlfriends...mainly, I just love how Stardust Memories looks, projected in 35mm on a bigscreen... TASTY. Plus it makes me laugh. Always helpful in a comedy.

Deconstructing Harry does a similar thing, wrapping his life in Wild Strawberries instead of 8 1/2 and coming out bitter as fuck. I was lurking around NYU when it came out, and my god was that movie LOATHED in New York. Hated hated hated. Out of the theaters in seemingly a few hours. It had an interesting style I wish he explored further, far more effective than the overly abrasive and kinda clunky abrupt editing in Husbands and Wives.

[Shit Good Nose]

Not that it's ever going to happen, but I often wonder what an out and out silly comedy Woody film would be like if he made one now.  Obvs the physical pratfalls would be out the window (or he'd get an avatar), but a lot of his comedy films since have had the odd little flash of that early silliness, even if it's just verbal.  So he must still have that silly bone somewhere inside him.

[hewantstolurkatad]

His Amazon series debuts in a few weeks. Basically expecting 6 short films largely similar to his short story work tbh, regardless it'll be a big change from his last 20 years or so. His huge skepticism about their quality has me optimistic!

Have to say, I'm a a bit stunned he didn't show himself up to be utterly incapable of doing anything other than a 90 minute film. Was certain Amazon were gonna wind up with six feature length Woody Allen films from this deal.

[checkoutgirl]

Woody Allen: A Documentary (2012) gives a nice overview of his career, very watchable and a nice companion piece to his films. It's over 3 hours long broken into 2 separate films and doesn't gloss over the paedo business. I've watched it twice now and can't rule out doing so again because it's so enjoyable. It is a bit gushing at times but that's because like him or not he is one of the important directors of all time.

I'd recommend watching 9 or 10 of his films before seeing this.

[Brundle-Fly]

Few years old but this parody still makes me smile.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHle2lV1g8g

[Twit 2]

Top 20, No particular order:

Take the Money and Run
Sweet and Lowdown
Love and Death
Bananas
Bullets Over Broadway
Manhattan
Radio Days
Hannah and her Sisters
Purple Rose of Cairo
September
Another Woman
Husbands and Wives
Interiors
Anything Else
Crimes and Misdemeanours
Annie Hall
Mighty Aphrodite
To Rome with Love
Zelig
Broadway Danny Rose

[Mini]

As an old avid fan, I stumbled and fell after the disappointment of (but oddly affecting at the time in my personal life), Celebrity (1998) and have not seen any Woody Allen film since.

What subsequent films does the panel advise me to go from here?

Blue Jasmine. That is all.

Avoid Match Point at all costs.

[DukeDeMondo]

As an old avid fan, I stumbled and fell after the disappointment of (but oddly affecting at the time in my personal life), Celebrity (1998) and have not seen any Woody Allen film since.

What subsequent films does the panel advise me to go from here?

Anything Else is absolutely worth your time. I love it. One of Tarantino's favourite films of the 2000s, an all, if that's any sort of recommendation.

[thecuriousorange]

Blue Jasmine. That is all.

Avoid Match Point at all costs.

I'd say Match Point is better than Blue Jasmine, even if it is just a re-hash of Crimes and Misdemeanors.

[phantom_power]

Antz

[Sin Agog]

What's the one with the Da Vinci-esque flying machine?  Midsummer Sex Comedy?  I thought that had just enough of a hint of magic and otherness about it to really leave a nice effect on me by the end of it.

[Shit Good Nose]

I'd say Match Point is better than Blue Jasmine, even if it is just a re-hash of Crimes and Misdemeanors.

I agree with that.

Not that Match Point is particularly good, I just don't get all the fuss about Blue Jasmine.  Bored the tits off me.

[Mini]

I agree with that.

Not that Match Point is particularly good, I just don't get all the fuss about Blue Jasmine.  Bored the tits off me.

At least Blue Jasmine has a strong central performance. Give me Cate Blanchett or gangrene over Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Scarlett Johansson any day.

[Custard]

Woody Allen: A Documentary (2012) gives a nice overview of his career, very watchable and a nice companion piece to his films. It's over 3 hours long broken into 2 separate films and doesn't gloss over the paedo business. I've watched it twice now and can't rule out doing so again because it's so enjoyable. It is a bit gushing at times but that's because like him or not he is one of the important directors of all time.

I'd recommend watching 9 or 10 of his films before seeing this.

Fanx much for recommending this, as I watched both parts the other day and really enjoyed it.

I had always somehow imagined Allen being a bit quiet and grumpy in reality, but he came across really well. Pity they could only spend a minute or two on each film, but seeing how many he's made that's understandable. Excellent stuff

[hewantstolurkatad]

I really dont get why Match Point seems to get a particularly strong amount of hate in its direction. Is it just because out of his poorer releases, it's the one that most people seem to have seen? I thought it was decent to be honest, kind of expect my opinion of it to rise if I ever rewatch it (it's about 20 minutes longer than any other film he's done, isn't it? That alone is bloody intriguing). Blue Jasmine is much closer to autopilot Woody, it just happens to have an unusually strong performance in the middle of it all.

Whatever Works is the worst Woody Allen film I've seen.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Skimming through this, no mention at all of Everything you always wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask?

Are we a comedy forum??

Likewise, I can't see any mention of Play It Again Sam, which seems the perfect film in terms of boiling down the Allen neuroses and indeed beta male neuroses. 

Take The Money And Run is brilliant too. Didn't get it on a first viewing but once you tap into its rhythm it's hilarious, and indeed a precursor to the Zucker & Abrahams type surreal/deadpan comedies.

[sevendaughters]

Zelig is my current favourite. Great jokes and arguably his high point from a technical view. Lots of people have emulated the 'guy in old footage' bit since but no one anywhere nearly as well.

Sweet and Lowdown is incredible. Didn't see anyone mention that but it's one of Sean Penn's best performances.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Whatever Works is the worst Woody Allen film I've seen.

Woody Allen and Larry David sounds like a match made in comedy heaven, but it really is such a nothing, charmless film. It's Woody at his laziest, and I've still no idea why he decided to dust that script down after - quite rightly - leaving it at the bottom of his drawer for 30 years.

I hope he and LD work together again one day.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Likewise, I can't see any mention of Play It Again Sam, which seems the perfect film in terms of boiling down the Allen neuroses and indeed beta male neuroses. 

Play It Again, Sam is one of my favourite films, it's an absolute comedy classic. It's also the film I use to introduce people to Woody's work, because, as you say, it encapsulates his comic character to sweet, hilarious effect. If they don't like it, then it's fair to assume that they'll never be a fan of his work.

[hewantstolurkatad]

Woody Allen and Larry David sounds like a match made in comedy heaven, but it really is such a nothing, charmless film. It's Woody at his laziest, and I've still no idea why he decided to dust that script down after - quite rightly - leaving it at the bottom of his drawer for 30 years.

I hope he and LD work together again one day.

IIRC, some scheduling issues meant that if he wanted to do a film in the next year or so (was it something to do with the writers strike, perhaps?), he had to start something on f*ck all notice. The film was thrown together at a fast rate by even Woody Allen standards and it really shows.

Larry David is in his part of New York Stories too, I believe. Cannot recall how significant his role is.

[McChesney Duntz]

He's the stage manager of the magic club where Woody's character's mother disappears.  ("Look, if we don't find your mother, we'll give you free tickets to any show you want."). I remember it well, as I exclaimed out loud in the theater, "Hey, Larry David!" (yes, I knew who he was in 1989, worship me).  He is also one of the Bolshevik neighbors in RADIO DAYS, only seen in long shot, but immediately recognizable by his voice.  For some reason, I never had too big a problem with WHATEVER WORKS - not top-drawer WA, not even close, but with enough David dyspepsia and a good sight gag or two (like addressing the viewer from atop the woman he landed on after his last suicide attempt) to give it the edge over the toxic likes of Jade Scorpion or Celebrity (last and least of his hookers-and-blowjobs trilogy; weird period of raunch he went through in the late nineties, eh?).  Anyway, count me in on the thought of a more substantive David-led Woody work; hell, while we're fantasizing, what about a full-on writing collaboration?  Could help rejuvenate his muse to get a youngster like LD involved.  I mean, the kid's not even seventy yet...