# favorite Woody Allen movies

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [July 20, 2013, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993 "2013-07-20T00:44:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\
**Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993/21 "2013-07-20T23:34:19Z")

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> [@norvalnormal](#):
>
> No love for _Radio Days_??

I came in here to post the same. That movie knocked me out for some reason. It’s not heavy and just a fine popcorn movie.

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993/22 "2013-07-21T01:33:54Z")

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Absolute best movie: _Crimes and Misdemeanors._

My favorite, short scene in any of his movies is the one in _Play it Again, Sam_ when he tries to make a date with that chick in the art museum. [Here.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbnueb2OI4o)

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993/23 "2013-07-21T02:01:31Z")

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> [@Gatopescado](#):
>
> not strictly a Woody film, but he is damn funny in it

The same can be said about _Antz_. A really good movie that’s well worth watching.

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**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993/24 "2013-07-21T02:04:52Z")

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> [@norvalnormal](#):
>
> No love for _Radio Days_??

We love _Radio Days_. It’s one of the many that’s tied for second place in my heart. Back in the days before DVDs, I wanted to find a videotape of it for my father, who was born and raised in Hollywood during the Golden Age of Radio. He was in the audience of many, many of those old radio shows. But I could not find one, there was no way to order one at that time, and he finally died without seeing it.

And a side note on _Annie Hall_: That house where the character Alvy Singer grew up, underneath the roller coaster really was someone’s house. It burned down some years ago.

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**Author:** ![Alpine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpine/32/17813_2.png) [@Alpine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpine)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993/25 "2013-07-21T02:41:06Z")

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Another vote for _Love and Death_. I haven’t seen that many others, so I’m making a list from this thread!

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**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993/26 "2013-07-21T03:10:37Z")

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_Broadway Danny Rose_ is a wonderful little gem. A Canadian friend over here is about as big a Woody Allen fan as I am, but he had somehow never heard of _Broadway Danny Rose_ until recently. He didn’t know how he missed it. Of course, I saw it in the cinema when it first came out, and he’s only in his early 30s. The title had just escaped his notice. But he finally learned of it and watched it, so I ended up rewatching it again too. Really a great little movie.

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**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993/27 "2013-07-21T03:51:48Z")

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_Hannah And Her Sisters  
Radio Days  
Manhattan  
Small Time Crooks_

and many more…

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**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993/28 "2013-07-21T13:11:37Z")

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I have a lot more on my list now, thanks everybody.

> [@](#):
>
> On a side note, we just picked up Woody Allen: A Documentary but have not had a chance to watch it yet. That came out last year I believe? Has anyone seen that yet?

watch it and come back and post! I’d be interested.

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**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993/29 "2013-07-21T14:57:31Z")

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> [@Siam\_Sam](#):
>
> On a side note, we just picked up _Woody Allen: A Documentary_ but have not had a chance to watch it yet. That came out last year I believe? Has anyone seen that yet?

> [@JackieLikesVariety](#):
>
> watch it and come back and post! I’d be interested.

I’ll do that. It’s [this movie here](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2397619/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_1). It’s second in our queue right now, which means we’ll probably watch it the weekend after next.

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**Author:** ![equinoxi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@equinoxi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/equinoxi)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993/30 "2013-07-21T16:07:46Z")

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I may have seen all his films. Annie Hall, Manhattan, Hannah and her sisters, husbands and wives and Deconstructing Harry (which often been overlooked) are my favorites.

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**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993/31 "2013-07-21T16:54:01Z")

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In order:

Annie Hall  
Sleeper  
Radio Days  
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex  
Love and Death

I have great affection or Sleeper because it’s the first of his films I remember seeing when I was a kid. The scene where he’s beating the giant pudding with a broom had me peeing my pants.

The Gene Wilder segment in EYAWTKAS is priceless.

Annie Hall was a briliant piece of filmmaking, and very funny and touching. On my latest viewing I noticed a joke that somehow eluded me all these years. When Annie finally arrives at the movie theater to find Alvy being harassed by creepy autograph seekers he exclaims, “I’m standing here with the cast of The Godfather!” Of course, Diane Keaton was in The Godfather, which I’ve also seen umpteen times but somehow I never put this together until now.

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**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993/32 "2013-07-21T17:14:53Z")

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Funny, I’m not a huge fan of his, but the other day I watched _Hannah and her Sisters_ again, just because. It has two of my favorite moments in film: Max von Sydow saying, “If Jesus came back and saw what’s going on in his name, he’d never stop throwing up,” and Mickey emerging from the doctor, jubilant at the good news, literally jumping for joy, and then . . . stopping. And bringing his hand to his mouth thoughtfully. It’s so morbidly hilarious.

I actually had a similar pause when I looked up the age of the movie and realized it’s 27 years old! Gah! Still holds up well despite the crazy fashion and the phone stuff that is so alien to our current world.

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**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993/33 "2013-07-21T17:25:38Z")

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> [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](#):
>
> “If Jesus came back and saw what’s going on in his name, he’d never stop throwing up”

Love that quote.

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**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993/34 "2013-07-21T17:25:58Z")

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I was watched ~8 of his movies. Annie Hall is by far my favorite. I think it has a great story, and it is more consistently funny than any of his other movies. Woody Allen is on fire throughout, with the little observations and remarks. In fact I have watched more movies of his than I would otherwise, in hope of another Annie Hall, but no success.

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**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993/35 "2013-07-23T01:57:14Z")

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> [@equinoxi](#):
>
> … and Deconstructing Harry (which often been overlooked) are my favorites.

The hooker in that one pissed me off. I mean the actress who played her. This came out not too long after Mira Sorvino won her Oscar for portraying a hooker in _Mighty Aphrodite_. I read an interview with the _Deconstructing Harry_ hooker’s actress, whose name I can’t even remember without looking it up, in which she said she _expected_ an Oscar nomination. In her mind, it seemed “playing a Woody Allen hooker” = “Academy Award.” Even if it had been an Oscar-caliber performance, which it wasn’t, I seriously doubt the Academy would start a tradition of handing out Oscars to any Hooker in a Woody Allen film.

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**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993/36 "2013-07-23T02:07:30Z")

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The greatest scene ever in moviedom is a scene with Woody Allen and Peter Sellers. It is from **What’s New Pussycat?**. The scene is where Sellers is attempting to commit suicide as a viking might and Allen is having a solitary birthday picnic in the same location.

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993/37 "2013-07-23T02:29:37Z")

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The greatest scene ever in moviedom is from _What’s New Pussycat?_. But it’s Peter Sellers pursuing Ursula Andress to the tune of “The Look of Love”.

Really. Really, really, really.

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**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993/38 "2013-07-23T02:41:35Z")

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I’d have to say my 5 favorite are probably (in order):

**Crimes and Misdemeanors  
Zelig  
Midnight in Paris  
Annie Hall  
Bananas**

But there are plenty of others that, while they don’t resonate like these do, have stellar acting, clever writing, funny conceits, and/or marvelous production values.

His new one is his first that takes place in San Francisco (where I live, generally), so I’m very much looking forward to it.

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**Author:** ![GovernmentMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@GovernmentMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GovernmentMan)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993/39 "2013-07-23T05:49:03Z")

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> [@MovieMogul](#):
>
> His new one is his first that takes place in San Francisco (where I live, generally), so I’m very much looking forward to it.

Ever heard of Take the Money and Run?

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**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-woody-allen-movies/663993/40 "2013-07-23T18:46:50Z")

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> [@GovernmentMan](#):
>
> Ever heard of Take the Money and Run?

Of course, but it’s been so long (decades), I’d forgotten that any of it took place there. I’ll have to revisit it.

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