Things You'll Need:
- Video rental membership
-
Step 1
Slapstick comedy: It doesn't get any better than "Sleeper," Allen's
1973 farce about a man who awakens after a long sleep to find a very
different world. Need precise sight gags, some verbal wizardry and
just enough silliness to keep it all together? You can't pick a better
Allen film. -
Step 2
Existential drama: Allen's "Match Point" (2005) got high marks from
most critics, but his 1989 film "Crimes and Misdemeanors" remains his
best soul-searing drama. The sprawling cast, led by Martin Landau,
digs deep into the inner evil within all of us. -
Step 3
Love, New York Style: Allen's "Manhattan" (1979) is his love letter
to the Big Apple, and the worm in that apple turns out to be his
character's ill-advised romance with a high schooler (Mariel
Hemingway). The lush black and white cinematography lets Allen show
his affection for his beloved island. -
Step 4
Nostalgia. Allen makes it tough here, giving us the poignant "Radio
Days" (1987) which affectionately recalls the pre-television era. But
"Broadway Danny Rose" wins by a nose. The 1984 film features a
has-been crooner and his go-for-broke agent (played by Allen), and the
schmaltzy songs and table full of comics whose banter bookends the
film will make anyone long for a bygone era. -
Step 5
The whole enchilada: "Annie Hall" won Best Picture in 1977, beating
out "Star Wars." The latter had a bigger impact on the industry and
culture, but "Annie Hall" may be Allen's most perfectly constructed
film. Funny, heartbreaking and occasionally both at the same time,
it's Allen at his finest.
